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Recycling and Material Recovery in Cameroon: Implications
for Poverty Alleviation and Ecological Sustainability
Von der Fakultät für Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik der
Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus zur Erlangung des
akademischen Grades eines Doktor-Ingenieurs genehmigte Dissertation
vorgelegt von
M.Sc.
Fred Zisuh Asong
aus Tiko, Kamerun
Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Ertel Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Voigt Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 27.01.2010
ii
Dedication
To:
My lovely wife Lekeaka for her constant support and endurance for the years I
have been away.
My Dad (Zisuh) and Mum (Ajoache) for academic and moral upbringing. It has
always been their dream to see me reach this level.
My mother-in-law, Mama Grace Fonkeng for the lessons of endurance and
commitment I have learned from her.
iii
Declaration
I, Fred Zisuh Asong, do hereby declare that this doctoral dissertation entitled
“Recycling and Material Recovery in Cameroon: Implications for Poverty
Alleviation and Ecological Sustainability” carried out at the Chair of Industrial
Sustainability and submitted to the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Process
Engineering at Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus, Germany in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a “Doktor-Ingenieur” (Dr.-Ing) is my
original research.
The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel, Head of the Chair of
Industrial Sustainability at BTU Cottbus (main supervisor) and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-
Jürgen Voigt, Head of the Chair of Environmental Geology at BTU Cottbus (co-
supervisor). The thesis was defended on 27th January 2010 before an examination
panel comprising Prof. Dr. Jur. Albrecht (Head), Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel, Prof. Dr.
rer. nat. Hans-Jürgen Voigt and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Albrecht Gnauck.
While part of this dissertation builds on the conceptual framework from some of my
previous studies at the above mentioned Chair and under the supervision of Prof. Dr.
rer. nat. J Ertel, I do also declare that the contents of this doctorate dissertation have
never been submitted in part or whole to any other academic or awarding institution for
the award of an academic degree.
Asong, Fred Zisuh (2311986)
(B.Sc. Geology; M.Sc. Appl. Geology; M.Sc. ERM)
iv
Acknowledgments
I would only have done myself justice by admitting work of this magnitude could not
have been achieved without the immense support of some sort from some people
around me and a whole lot whom I got to meet or crossed path during my study period.
My sincere gratitude goes to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel for accepting to supervise
this research. Having benefited your supervision from my study project and master
thesis (at the master study program in Environmental and Resource Management) and
the present supervision for my doctorate thesis, I have not only got a rewarding big
thank you but I have come a long way to learning some realities in the academic world
and how such realities connect with the outside world. More so, I have learned good
human character necessary for interaction in an international community. I also express
enormous thanks to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Jürgen Voigt of the Chair of Environmental
Geology at BTU Cottbus for co-supervising this research. Your critical comments have
been helpful. I am also grateful to DAAD through the BTU International office for
providing some financial support for my research.
I am deeply indebted to Dr. Agyingi, C.M. of the University of Buea for being a helpful
contact and resource person in Cameroon and whose input to this work has been
commendable. Your love for truth and humility has been my ideal. I wish to thank Obasi
Marinus (Life Science graduate of University of Buea) and his pals for the immense help
and selfless sacrifice to me for field work and other data collection. To my younger
brother, Dr. Ngoasong Michael Zisuh of Nottingham Trent University, England, I say
thank you for your financial and moral support. To my bosom friends Nkamta Ernest N.
and Nkengapa Daniel L, because of your true friendship to me, I can only say I love
you.
My gratitude to Mr Klaus-Peter Dreyer for the initial translation of the dissertation
summary into German and to Madam Susann Handke, secretary at the Chair of
Industrial Sustainability for the final German version and for her wonderful cooperation
in administrative issues related to my studies at the Chair.
v
I wish to acknowledge the massive financial, moral and spiritual support my Dad (Zisuh)
and Mum (Ajoache) have provided me with especially in the past six years. And to my
sisters and brothers: Mrs Sinju nee Atabong J., Mrs Forzi nee Ngulefac F., Mrs
Fuanchenaleh nee Ngenyi E., Nchonganyi Marie, Njinyah Sam, Nkemnji Jude and
Ndemafia B, the fact that you demanded so little of me but gave me more was a true
sign of your wish to see me succeed. To you all I owe my appreciation and love.
I owe immense gratitude to my in-laws the Tsamoh's and Bissong's not only for their
support and encouragement but for their coming to terms with the fact that I had to be
away from their daughter (my wife) for over three years because of academic
obligations. Yours have been a rare but highly commended level of understanding. May
the good lord continue to bless and keep you.
I remain indebted to the Kembe‟s (especially wife Fru Rose Bih) for the huge impact
they created on me during my studies – at some points you were like parents to me.
Only the good lord would reward you abundantly. At some point in time when the future
seemed bleak, Mrs Ajuang nee Sulwe Jackson and Kwah Mbazang did make a
difference for me and for this I owe them gratitude. A whole lot of friends also made life
worth living for me during these tumultuous years out of home and all of whose names I
cannot cite here not because of negligence yet I remain thankful to them. I wish to
acknowledge the support from the following friends: Nkemnkeng Pius, Anu Mbunya,
Tabenyang Victor, Samjeh Dinga, Nkengasong Henson, Frau Dreyer nee Daisy
Adhiambo, Frau Bittner nee Akinyi Yvonne.
Life away from my lovely spouse Atemkeng Mirabel L has never been any easy for me.
Despite the huge geographic separation, the love, support and encouragement I
received from her was enormous. Her faith in God and her trust in prayer have been so
vital in my success. Sweetheart thank you for all you are to me.
Despite my weaknesses and foolishness, I trust God has been blessing me and will
always do so. To Him be glory, praise and honor. Amen!
vi
Summary
Recycling and material recovery are gaining more grounds in applicability as viable
options to sustainable solid waste management especially in Municipal Solid Waste
Management (MSWM) schemes. In this dissertation a critical analyzes is made of the
MSWM problem in Cameroon and an assessment of the role Small- and Medium-Size
Enterprises have been playing in the area of recycling and material recovery. The main
research methods applied in this research include: fieldwork, administration of
questionnaires, interview and literature review.
Using two case study localities (Limbe and Buea municipalities), the various practices in
MSWM are elaborated, the constraints and challenges faced by management discussed
and proposals for either expanding/upgrading existing schemes to be more sustainable
as well as strategies to initiate new systems presented. Innovations within collection
systems such as the introduction of household bins and specialized collection of specific
waste could be quite beneficial to existing schemes.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) which constitute one of the fastest
growing waste streams presents greater management challenges. Two case study
localities (Buea and Kumba) are used to analyze the problem of WEEE in Cameroon.
An overview of the handling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) at end-of-life
(EoL) in Cameroon is made with special focus on households and repair units. At
household level, WEEE is disposed of alongside other waste arisings in the available
disposal facilities for given household. Repair units represent a very vital connection
between dysfunctional EEE and EoL forms as all users of EEE tend to bring these
devices to these units for repairs. An inventory of the various EEE at repair units for
these two localities shows that above 40% percent of such equipments are totally out of
use. In Kumba, Classes 1 and 4 EEE (according to EU WEEE directive classification)
dominate while class 3 is almost absent. In Buea, Class 3 and 4 are dominant. These
results show that socio-cultural, economic and even climatic factors influence the choice
of EEE that people in this area acquire. The intense level of repair activities and
recovery of useful parts by repair units show that there exist adaptable options to handle
WEEE in especially economically and environmentally beneficial ways.
The recycling of aluminum for production of household utensils represents a very basic
vii
and adaptive industrial set-up, which can easily be operated and run at very cheap cost
and with a little manpower. While this venture seems apparently successful in economic
terms as an option to poverty alleviation through income generation, it is plagued by
some problems which, if given due consideration will render it a prospective option for
poverty alleviation (through small enterprise business development) and environmental
sustainability (as an option to sustainable MSWM). In this dissertation, a model is thus
presented, which can be utilized by stakeholders to improve on the sector.
An assessment of efforts and constraints to implementing comprehensive recycling and
recovery schemes in Cameroon was also carried out. Results show that there are
existing practices on which comprehensive recycling and recovery can be built upon
that would be beneficial to both councils and engaged schemes – mostly SMEs and
NGOs. The challenges faced and likely to be faced and the way forward to
implementing any broad scale recovery and recycling are presented. If municipal
councils choose to operate existing MSWM schemes without significant changes, then
collective collaboration will be highly required. Such collaboration will present benefits to
both waste collection and disposal. On the other hand, if they wish to expand schemes
or create new schemes, adaptive innovation would be highly recommended. Such
adaptive innovation would have to incorporate local practices and approaches of
MSWM as well as socio-economic considerations so as to ensure new or expanded
schemes survive within local socio-economic context. A greater challenge in enhancing
recycling and material recovery in particular and MSWM in general, in Cameroon is on
the role the government takes on designing appropriate policies and legislative
frameworks to cover such activities in economically and ecological beneficial ways. In
the absence of these, SMEs, councils and NGOs (working in partnership with other
specialized groups) concerned with activities related to recycling and material recovery
may be left with the option of regulating activities within their sectors as such activities
stand to alleviate poverty and also present ecological benefits.
viii
Zusammenfassung
Recycling und Wiederverwertung in Kamerun: Auswirkungen auf die
Armutsbekämpfung und ökologische Nachhaltigkeit
Recycling und Wiederwertung gewinnen bei der Realisierung einer nachhaltigen
Abfallwirtschaft insbesondere in Systemen für ein kommunales Abfallmanagement
kontinuierlich an Bedeutung. In dierser Dissertation ist eine kritische Untersuchung
dieser Problematik in Kamerun durchgeführt worden und eine Beurteilung, welche Rolle
kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen bei Recycling und Wiederverwertung gespielt
haben. Als wesentliche Untersuchungsmethoden sind Feldstudien, die Auswertung von
Fragebögen, Interviews und Literaturauswertung zum Einsatz gekommen.
Am Beispiel von zwei Fallstudien (der Gemeinde Limbe und Buea) werden die
unterschiedlichen Praktiken herausgearbeitet, die Hemmnisse und Heausforderungen
mit dem Management diskutiert und Vorschläge für einen Ausbau bzw. eine
Verbesserung der existierenden Maßnahmen in Richtung stärkere Nachhaltigkeit sowie
Strategien zur Initiierung neuer Systeme präsentiert. Innovationen bei Sammelsyste-
men wie der Einführung von Hausmülltonen und getrennten Sammlung von besonderen
Wertstoffen, können die bestehenden Maßnahmen ergänzen und die aktuellen Systeme
verbessern.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE, Elektro-Altgeräte) ist einer der am
schnellsten wachsenden Zweige des Abfallaufkommens und stellen eine besonders
hohe Herausforderung an das Management dar. Zwei Fallstudien (Buea und Kumba)
werden herangezogen, um die Problematik des WEEE in Kamerun zu untersuchen. Es
wird ein Überblick über die Handhabung von elektrischen und elektronischen Geräten in
Kamerun am Ende des Lebenszyklus gegeben, der einen speziellen Fokus auf
Haushalte und Reparaturwerkstätten hat. Elektroaltgeräte aus Haushaltungen, werden
WEEE neben anderem Müllaufkommen in den verfügbaren Entsorgungeinrichtungen
eingesammelt. Reparaturwerkstätten spielen eine entscheidende Rolle bei der
Verlägerung des Lebens von Elektrogeräten, da diese häufig vor einer Entsorgung in
die Werkstatt zu einer Reparatur abgegeben werden. Der Bestand dieser
verschiedenen Elektrogeräte in den Reparaturwerkstätten dieser beiden Gemeinden
ix
zeigt, dass über 40% dieser Geräte veraltet sind. In Kumba dominierten die Klassen 1
und 4 (nach EU Klassifikation), während die Klasse 3 nahezu nicht vorhanden war. In
Buea herrschen dagegen die Klassen 3 und 4 vor. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das
sozio-ökonomische Umfeld und sogar klimatische Faktoren das Anschaffungsverhalten
von Elektrogeräten in einer Region beinflussen können. Der hohe Grad an
Reparaturaktivitäten und die Rückgewinnung von Bauteilen durch die
Reparaturwerkstätten zeigt, dass anpassungsfähige Optionen zum Umgang mit
Elektrogeräten insbesondere unter ökonomisch und ökologisch sinnvollen
Gesichtspunkten vorhanden sind.
Das Recycling von Aluminium zur Herstellung von Haushaltswaren erfordert ein
eifaches und anpassungsfähiges System, welches einfach und kostengünstig betrieben
werden kann und nur wenig Personal benötigt. Während dieses Vorhaben unter
ökonomischen Anforderungen als eine Option zur Verminderung der Armut aufgund der
Einkommenserzielung offensichtlich erfolgreich scheint, treten auch Probleme auf, die
allerdings bei entsprechender Berücksichtigung zukünftig die Grundlage zur
Verminderung der Armut (aufgrund der Entwicklung von Kleinunternehmen) und für
ökologische Nachhaltigkeit liefern. In dieser Dissertation, wird ein Modell aufgezeigt,
das von Interessengruppen für Verbesserungen in diesem Beriech genutzt werden kann
Eine Beurteilung der vorhandenen Anstrengungen und Hemmnisse, flächendeckende
Recycling- und Verwertungssysteme in Kamerun einzuführen, wurde ebenfalls
durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es bestehende Methoden gibt, auf denen
flächendeckende Recycling- und Verwertungssysteme mit einem Nutzen für Gemeinden
und den engagierten Beteiligten - vorzugsweise kleine und mittelständische
Unternehmen oder nichtstaatliche Einrichtungen (NGO) aufgesetzt werden können. Die
sich stellenden Herausforderungen und der Weg, eine breite Wiederverwertung und ein
hohes Recycling einzuführen, sind entsprechend dargelegt worden. Sofern sich
Gemeinden entscheiden, die vorhandenen Systeme ohne signifikante Änderungen zu
betreiben, ist eine Abstimmung und Zusammenarbeit unbedingt erforderlich. Eine
derartige Zusammenarbeit wird Vorteile sowohl bei der Müllsammlung als auch bei der
Müllentsorgung liefern. Sofern ein Ausbau der bestehenden Systeme oder die
Einführung eines neuen Systems angestrebt wird, sind anpassungsfähige und flexible
x
Innovationen nötig. Derartig flexible Systeme sollten lokale Ansätze für ein kommunales
Abfallmanagement sowie die sozio-ökonomischen Rahmenbedingungen
berücksichtigen, um sicherzustellen, dass die neuen oder erweiterten Systeme im
lokalen, sozio-ökonomischen Umfeld bestehen. Eine hohe Herausforderung zur
Verbesserung von Recycling und Wiederverwertung im speziellen und kommunales
Abfallmanagement im allgemeinen wird in Kamerun an die öffentliche Verwaltung
gestellt, die angemessene Richtlinien und den gesetzlichen Rahmen für derartige
Aktivitäten unter Berücksichtigung vom ökonomischen und ökologischen Nutzen geben
muss. Beim Ausbleiben dieser regulatorischen Grundlagen, werden SME´s, Gemeinden
und NGO´s (in Zusammenarbeit mit weiteren, spezialisierten Gruppen), die sich mit
Aktivitäten in Bezug auf Recycling und Wiederverwertung beschäftigen, allein gelassen,
wobei diese innerhalb des Sektors bei der Verringerung der Armut unterstützen können
und auch noch ökologische Vorteile erbringen können.
xi
List of Figures
Figure 1 A conceptual framework for sustainable development ..................................... 14
Figure 2 Schematic representation of recycling of household waste ............................. 24
Figure 3 Aluminum in products in MSW generated, recovered and discarded in the ..... 26
Figure 4 Structural set up of market for recyclables ....................................................... 29
Figure 5 Map of Cameroon showing regional headquarters and major towns and
bordering ................................................................................................................ 40
Figure 6 Hierarchy of administrative framework for MSWM in Cameroon. .................... 42
Figure 7 Non-biodegradable components of MSW for Bamenda .................................. 45
Figure 8 Comparison of MSW generation and collection in Yaounde ............................ 45
Figure 9 Different waste storage facilities within households in the Limbe municipality 48
Figure 10 Collection devices for MSW secondary collection in the Limbe municipality: 50
Figure 11 Proposed improvements for existing MSWM systems in Cameroon. Source:
adapted from Parrot et al., 2009; and author's construct). ...................................... 59
Figure 12 Comparison of existing MSWM systems to proposed system. ...................... 63
Figure 13 Breakdown of WEEE arising within the EU in 2005. ..................................... 75
Figure 14 Circuit boards and other components of out-of-use EEE at repair ................. 82
Figure 15 Fate of Municipal Solid Waste in Cameroon ................................................ 102
Figure 16 Air ventilation unit components of local macocot pot production plant in ..... 106
Figure 17 Heating chamber constituting a cylindrical metal device into which charcoal or
wood is used for energy generation. ................................................................... 107
Figure 18 Construction of molds for production of household cooking pots................. 108
Figure 19 Steps involved in the recycling of aluminum at a processing plant in
Cameroon ............................................................................................................. 109
Figure 20 Schematic representation of strategies to enhance recycling of aluminum . 118
Figure 21 Common household waste storage devices in Limbe municipality .............. 126
Figure 22 Plastic type identified for 35 products in common use in Cameroon ........... 135
Figure 23 Household willingness to participate in recycling in Limbe .......................... 136
xii
List of Tables
Table 1 Rural and Urban poverty incidence in selected countries (various years) ......... 15
Table 2 Material Recovery* from MSW stream in the US, 1960 – 2007 (in thousands of
tons and percent of total recovery of each material) ............................................... 25
Table 3 List of organizations and groups involved in MSWM in Yaounde alongside
municipal council and HYSACAM .... 37
Table 4 Current amount of WEEE collected and treated as percentage of arisings ....... 76
Table 5 Inventory of WEEE for some 40-repair stores in Kumba, Cameroon ................ 78
Table 6 Inventory of WEEE for some 20 repair stores in Buea, Cameroon ................... 78
Table 7 Relative proportions of various classes of EEE at repair units .......................... 79
Table 8 Inventory of EEE and end-of-use (or -life) forms in 10 repair units in Buea,
Cameroon ............................................................................................................... 80
Table 9 Comparison of proportions of EEE to those considered at end-of-life ............... 81
Table 10 List of some common components retrieved from WEEE by repair units‟
operators in Cameroon ........................................................................................... 83
Table 11 Current situation of WEEE in Cameroon ......................................................... 88
Table 12 Relationship between quantity of aluminum scrap used to pot size produced
(values are based on interview for three production units) ................................... 110
Table 13 Average market prices for different pots sizes produced ............................... 114
Table 14 Characteristics of MSWM systems for Limbe and Buea Municipalities ......... 129
Table 15 Plastic type identification for some common products in use in Cameroon ... 134
xiii
List of Abbreviations
ADV Association des Voluntaires du Developpement
AEC ARC en Ciel
BAN Basel Action Network
BETA Bamenda Electronic Technician Association
BfdW Bread for the World
CBWM Community-Based Waste Management
CCME Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
CREM Consultancy and Research for Environmental Management, Amsterdam,
the Netherlands
CID Centre for International Development
CIG Common Initiative Group
CIPRE International Centre for Promotion and Recycling
CORDAID Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid
CRT Cathode Ray Tube
CVN Club de Voluntaires de Nvog-Ada
DED German Development Service
DVD Digital Versatile Disc
EAA European Aluminum Association
EC European Commission
EEE Electrical and Electronic Equipment
ENDS Environmental Data Service, United Kingdom
ENICAM Entreprise de Nettoye Industriel au Cameroon SARL
EoL End-of-life
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPR Extended Producer Responsibility
ERA Environment Recherche Action
EU European Union
FEICOM Government Council Support Fund
HDPE High Density Polyethylene
HIPC Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative
HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
xiv
HYSACAM Hygiène et Salubrité du Cameroon
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
IT Information technology
ITU International Telecommunications Union
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LUC Limbe Urban Council
MINPMEESA Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and
Handicraft, Cameroon
MFP Microcellular foamed plastic
MSW Municipal Solid Waste
MSWM Municipal Solid Waste Management
NOWECA North-West Craft Association
MRF Material Recovery Facility
NGO Non-governmental Organization
OECD Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development
PET Polyethylene Terephthalate
PP Polypropylene
PS Polystyrene
R&D Research and Development
CASS Centre d'Animation Sociale et Saniatires
SEC Secretariat of the European Commission
SME Small- and Medium-size Enterprise
SONARA National Oil Refinery, Cameroon
SWM Solid Waste Management
UNEP United Nations Environmental Program
VCD Video Compact Disc
VHS Video Home System
xv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. II
DECLARATION .............................................................................................................. III
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................ IV
SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... VI
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG............................................................................................... VIII
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ XI
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... XII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... XIII
CHAPTER ONE .............................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Statement of Problem ............................................................................................................................................ 5
1.3 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................................... 7
1.4 Research Objectives and Scope ............................................................................................................................ 7
1.5 Research Method ................................................................................................................................................... 8
1.6 Rationale of research ............................................................................................................................................ 8
1.7 Thesis layout .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 11
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF RESEARCH ......................................................... 11
2.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 11
2.2 Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation in Environ-mental Management ................................... 12 2.2.1 Sustainable Development......................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Poverty Alleviation ..................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.3 The interconnection: Poverty Alleviation, Sustainable Development and Environmental Management ........................................................................................................................................................ 17
2.3 MSWM in Developing Countries ....................................................................................................................... 18
xvi
2.4 Managing the WEEE waste stream ................................................................................................................... 20
2.5 Recycling and Material Recovery ...................................................................................................................... 22
2.6 Previous Studies on MSWM in Cameroon ........................................................................................................ 31
CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 34
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CAMEROON: PRACTICES, CONSTRAINTS AND OPTIONS ................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER ABSTRACT ................................................................................................. 34
3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 34
3.2 MSWM Issues in Cameroon............................................................................................................................... 39 3.2.1 Country Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 39 3.2.2 MSWM in Cameroon ................................................................................................................................. 41
3.3 MSWM Practices for case study localities ........................................................................................................ 46 3.3.1 Limbe Municipality .................................................................................................................................. 46 3.3.1.1 Generation and Storage ........................................................................................................................ 47 3.3.1.2 Collection and Transportation ............................................................................................................... 48 3.3.1.3 Disposal ................................................................................................................................................... 51 3.3.2 Buea Municipality ................................................................................................................................... 52 3.3.2.1 MSW Generation and Storage ............................................................................................................. 52 3.3.2.2 Collection and Transportation ............................................................................................................... 53 3.3.2.3 Disposal ................................................................................................................................................... 53
3.4 Implications for Material Recovery and Recycling .......................................................................................... 54
3.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 55 3.5.1 Constraints and Challenges .................................................................................................................. 58 3.5.1.1 Infrastructure and logistics .................................................................................................................... 58 3.5.1.2 Urban planning and geomorphologic aspects .................................................................................... 58 3.5.1.3 Inadequate funding ................................................................................................................................ 60 3.5.1.4 Political and other Institutional aspects ............................................................................................... 61 3.5.1.5 Held perceptions ..................................................................................................................................... 61 3.5.1.6 Lack of Research and Development initiatives .................................................................................. 62
3.7 Proposals for Sustainable MSWM in Cameroon .............................................................................................. 62
3.8 Conclusion and recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 64 3.8.1 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 64 3.8.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER FOUR .......................................................................................................... 66
THE ROLE OF SMES IN THE RECYCLING AND RE-USE/RECOVERY OF COMPONENTS OF WEEE AT-END-OF LIFE IN CAMEROON .................................... 66
4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 66
4.2 Objectives of study .............................................................................................................................................. 70
4.2 Method and scope of study ................................................................................................................................. 70
xvii
4.3 Recovery and Recycling of WEEE..................................................................................................................... 72 4.3.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 72 4.3.2 Components of WEEE .............................................................................................................................. 73 4.3.3 Institutional efforts towards Recovery and Recycling of WEEE.......................................................... 74
4.4 Results .................................................................................................................................................................. 75 4.4.1 Handling EEE at end-of-life Cameroon ............................................................................................... 75 4.4.1.1 Public ........................................................................................................................................................ 75 4.4.1.2 Repair unit owners ................................................................................................................................. 77 4.4.1.3 Other sectors ........................................................................................................................................... 85
4.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 85
4.6 Applicability of recycling and recovery of WEE in Cameroon ....................................................................... 87 4.6.1 Strengths to applicability ........................................................................................................................... 90 4.6.2 Barriers to applicability .............................................................................................................................. 91
4.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................... 91
CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................ 93
RECYCLING OF ALUMINUM AND OTHER METALS SMES IN CAMEROON: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS .............................................................................. 93
5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 93
5.2 Objectives and Rationale of Study ..................................................................................................................... 97 5.2.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................... 97 5.2.2 Method and Rationale of study ................................................................................................................ 98
5.3 Aluminum within MSW stream ......................................................................................................................... 99
5.4 Institutional aspects of Recycling of Aluminum ............................................................................................... 99
5.5 Recycling of aluminum in Cameroon .............................................................................................................. 100 5.5.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 100 5.5.2 Perspective of Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon ........................................................................... 101 5.5.3 Recycling of aluminum for production of cooking pots ................................................................... 103 5.5.3.1 Collection of Raw material .................................................................................................................. 103 5.5.3.2 Manufacturing ....................................................................................................................................... 104
5.6 Marketing for Aluminum recycling in Cameroon ...........................................................................................111 5.6.1 Socio - Economic Analysis of production of cooking pots ................................................................. 112
5.7 Factors that Impact on Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon .......................................................................... 114
5.8 Strategy for Enhancing Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon ......................................................................... 116
5.9 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................................... 119
5.10. Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 121 5.10.1 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 121 5.10.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 121
CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................ 123
xviii
COLLECTIVE COLLABORATION AND/OR ADAPTIVE INNOVATION? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF INSTITUTIONAL EFFORTS AND CONSTRAINTS OF RECYCLING AND MATERIAL RECOVERY OF MSW IN CAMEROON .................... 123
6.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 123
6.2 Objectives and method ..................................................................................................................................... 124
6.3 Performance and effectiveness of present schemes ........................................................................................ 125 6.3.1 Case of the Public ................................................................................................................................... 125 6.3.2 Case of Council and Contracted Agents .............................................................................................. 127
6.4 Recycling and Recovery .................................................................................................................................... 130 6.4.1 Requirements for recycling and recovery............................................................................................. 130 6.4.2 Assessment of recycling and recovery in Cameroon ......................................................................... 131
6.5 The way forward ............................................................................................................................................... 137 6.5.1 Challenges ................................................................................................................................................ 137 6.5.2 Proposals for way forward ...................................................................................................................... 139
6.5 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................................... 140
6.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 142
CHAPTER 7 ................................................................................................................ 143
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................. 143
7.1 Summary of conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 143
7.2 Summary of Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 145
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 148
1
Chapter One
Introduction
The main motivations for undertaking this research and structure of the dissertation are
presented in this chapter. Thus a background of the main thesis of the research is
presented, the research problem and questions stated, research objectives and
rationale outlined and the research method briefed. A synopsis of the contents of the
different chapters in the dissertation is presented.
1.1 Background
The increasing amount of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) in developing countries
presents greater challenges with respect to proper and sustainable solutions to
managing such generated waste. With increasing population and economic activity and
rapidly changing lifestyles, Cameroon like many developing countries, is faced with
greater challenges towards managing solid waste. More so, failure to embark on better
approaches to Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) and/or negligence of the
issue gets to compound the problem. While waste may be land-filled or reprocessed for
energy, other options like recycling and material recovery for subsequent reuse also
present enormous opportunities for waste management with economic and ecological
benefits. Whether a given community operates a standard MSWM scheme or not, there
exist some operations and practices, which characterize how such a community goes
about the waste problem. Thus an understanding of environmental behavior (Oskamp,
2000) and an assessment of existing MSWM schemes can be very vital in not only the
enhancement of such schemes but in designing more sustainable options. Analyzing
the MSW stream for a given community or region over time as well as choosing
appropriate approaches is also useful in MSWM studies. Two approaches in use
include: „material flow approach‟ and the „output method‟ and both have their merits and
demerits. The material flow approach in estimating waste stream percentages within
various categories of waste considers waste as an end result of production thereby
incorporating production and expected lifecycle of products (McCauley-Bell et al., 1997).
This approach has the advantage that waste stream can be estimated over broader
2
geographic scales hence good for country basis and not local studies (Reinhardt and
McCauley-Bell, 1996). However, a main criticism of this approach is that it focuses on
product categories thereby excluding waste components not consequent of production.
The output method is best applied to waste composition studies often at disposal sites
and involves sampling, sorting, and weighing of individual categories of waste stream
(Tchobanoglous et al., 1993). The output approach is very good for localized studies as
it provides information unique to local planning for collection, recycling, treatment and
disposal. However, a disadvantage of this approach is the cost associated (see
Reinhardt and McCauley-Bell, 1996).
Within the past two decades, there has been growing concern on environmental related
issues in Cameroon. A gloomy picture of such growing concerns can be vividly grasped
from the number of small-scale local environmental groups that has sprung up within
this time. The main goals of these groups basically have to do with enhancing
environmental sustainability/improving agricultural yields on the one hand and helping
local communities in reaping some economic benefits on the other within socio-
culturally accommodating conditions. The increasing amounts of MSW, which is fast
attracting the attention of these groups as well as the government, require that
appropriately sustainable solutions be sought. Industries also generate significant
amount of waste of which some are recyclables. In MSW generated within cities in
Cameroon plastics, paper and ferrous/nonferrous metals occur is significant amounts
(Achankeng, 2003) that serve as a pointer to investigating possibilities for recycling and
recovery of such components.
Although developing countries like Cameroon still face several challenges in managing
commingled wastes, recovering and recycling individual components of the waste
stream for reuse and production of recycled-based products is economically plausible.
Despite the fact that suitably organized collection systems may be lacking, individual
components can still be recovered through locally adaptable designed approaches.
Such individual components that can be recovered and recycled include: aluminum,
plastics, paper and other components of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipments
(WEEE). Electronic waste generation is also on an increase in Cameroon and most of
such waste stays longer within households (Asong and Nkemnkeng, 2006). Such
wastes for example, constitute a major contributor of lead to landfills (Saphores et al.,
3
2006). Of great importance in a collection scheme is the role played by consumers or
the public. Although this group is critical to success in recycling, it may not be the
question of how many people do participate but how well they do (Thomas, 2001). Thus
the values people place on and the attitude they show towards environmental issues
can be seen as a measure of how well they may participate in recycling and recovery.
This study seeks to investigate the MSWM problem from the view point of recycling and
material recovery. And for such options to make meaning in a MSWM system the
generation and characteristics of waste have to be known since any attempts towards
recycling would involve material from waste stream. Local practices in waste
management as well as recovery of components can also give clues to expanding
existing schemes as well as creating avenues for innovation. Thus this research sought
to investigate the MSWM problem in Cameroon in general and using three localities as
case studies. The localities are Limbe, Kumba and Buea – all three being located in the
Southwest Region1 of Cameroon namely. The first two are City councils2 and the last, a
rural council (as per administrative classification in Cameroon). Limbe is a coastal town
surrounded by hills and mountains save the side bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is also
host to the country‟s national oil refinery (SONARA). Kumba can be described as the
economic capital of the Southwest Region characterized by rapid economic growth
especially in Small- and Medium-size Enterprises (SME) sector (Ngoasong, 2007).
Buea is the administrative headquarter of the Region, which is smaller in size and
population to the other two localities. Of the three localities, only Limbe council operates
a more elaborate MSWM scheme. Despite the basic efforts that are being put in by the
respective councils, most of the residential areas are not served with collection facilities,
which is not uncommon for developing countries (Klundert and Anschütz, 2001). And as
Wilson et al., (2001) note, many municipalities are usually faced with the constraints of
time, finance and technical resources to make reasonable decisions about preferred
MSWM options. Thus for such communities, data on waste generation (quantification
and source identification) and characterization need to be investigated as elements of
good management planning. An understanding of household characteristics (socio-
economic) can be quite valuable not only in understanding their contributions to the
1 Region is new geo-political name for the former Province as from 2009. Cameroon has ten Regions.
2 City Council is new name for some designated urban councils with state appointed Government Delegate as
Council Chairperson.
4
waste stream but also as an indicator to households‟ willingness to participate in MSWM
programs or Community-Based Waste Management (CBWM) schemes (Parizeau et
al., 2006).
The conceptual framework for this research builds on the premises that there is a strong
interconnection between socio-cultural, ecological, economic and technological factors
on MSWM. Despite cost and technological know-how involved in establishing broader-
scale operations to handle a greater bulk of waste, traditionally adaptable approaches
can still play significant roles in recycling and material recovery. An example is the case
of the Zabbaleen in Egypt, which despite its associated problems and difficulties faced,
still created a huge impact in waste management services to wider communities. The
Zabbaleen, an Egyptian community of Coptic Christians, operated an informal
community waste management collection and recycling system. Despite problems of
reliable of figures, it is estimated about 20.000 people are involved in recovery and
picking activities (CID, 2001). Basically, most of the collected organic waste was used to
feed donkeys and pigs. The Zabbaleen performed waste management services almost
for free (or at very cheap rates) and they make their living from the processes of re-use
and recycling. It is estimated that the Zabbaleen recycle about 80% or more of the
waste they collect (Bushra, 2000; CID 2001) and that each ton of household garbage in
the city of Cairo generates job (in collection and sorting) for about 3.5 person (CID
2001). The problems faced by the Zabbaleen include: social recognition (as a Christian
community within a predominantly Muslim country); challenge to upgrade system from
labor-intensive to mechanized; difficulty to put up with the Egyptian government‟s move
of contracting foreign and other bigger companies to replace the Zabbaleen. On the
other hand there have been strategies to enhance the Zabbaleen through programs
targeting social issues such as improving on the livelihoods (see Hossam Aziz, 2004).
A big challenge looms when the overriding operational and motivational determinants to
enhance better management are not known for particular case studies. But once these
determinants are known, even small scale efforts towards the recycling of and material
recovery for MSW can be rewarding as operations will then be done based on sound
and informed basis. This line of argument is the basis of this research. Thus it is
contested in this research that despite setbacks (in appropriate research areas to
enhance sustainable MSWM) in developing countries like Cameroon, there exist
5
opportunities that can be exploited in the area of MSWM through recycling and
recovery, which likely beneficial outcomes
1.2 Statement of Problem
Preliminary investigations into the possibilities of material recovery for Waste Electronic
and Electrical Equipments (WEEE) in Cameroon reveal that a range of adaptable
opportunities exist, which can be exploited for both economic and ecological benefits
(Asong and Nkemnkeng, 2006). Another study on the recycling of aluminum by small
private schemes in Cameroon mainly for the production of household utensils by Asong
(2006) show that such schemes represent a small yet significant sector with enormous
socio-economic and ecological benefits and can be operated at low cost. The above two
studies discuss the issue of material recovery and recycling in Cameroon, identify
problem areas and present options. They however do not provide greater details on
production and recovery, test the level of a wider public participation and motivational
determinants of participation, and investigate the effect of existing policies (or lack of
policies) on these activities.
Achankeng (2003) also discusses the MSWM in Cameroon from a characterization
study of Bamenda and Yaounde municipalities and the impact of globalization and
urbanization on MSWM. While using two case study localities in Cameroon, his study is
presented within a broader reference to Africa. Although he makes recommendations for
improving on MSWM African in general and Cameroon in particular, he does not provide
specific details on issues like the different local technologies that could be expanded to
improve on MSWM as well as details on the way forward to embarking on aspects like
recycling. Parrot et al (2009) investigated the MWSM problem in Yaounde (the political
capital city of Cameroon) from a more socio-economic perspective, discuss obstacles to
management and present some strategies to improve on management. Manga et al
(2008) carried out an evaluation of waste management in Cameroon from a policy
perspective in which case they presented an analysis of the state of Solid Waste
Management (SWM) regulations in Cameroon and the constraints on delivery of
sustainable waste management solutions. A more detailed discussion on previous
studies in MSWM in Cameroon is presented in the last section of Chapter Two. The
ones mentioned in this chapter, however, are quite relevant in setting the premises for
6
stating the research problem. Some other studies too, which constitute references for
building up relevant arguments in Chapter Three and other subsequent chapters, they
have been left out here to reduce duplicity.
Although most of the previous studies on MSWM in Cameroon present some way
forward or strategies to enhancing existing schemes none has focused on WEEE, which
is presently a very important sector of the entire MSW stream. There has also been the
absence of studies into local activities (by SMEs) that can be expanded with enormous
benefits as agents of sustainable MSWM as well as a source of income generation (as
an economic activity). Such an argument becomes even more valid when one considers
the difficulties and challenges facing the centralized schemes in Cameroon and the role
small local groups can play especially in areas with poor accessibility.
A number of small schemes in Cameroon are also involved in recycling of plastics
(CIPRE, in Yaounde) and paper. Others are as well nursing plans to take on recycling
and material recovery initiatives. Not much information exists on the recycling of waste
generated by larger industries and the effectiveness of their recycling and recovery
efforts as well as other options to be exploited. Some local councils that engage in
organized MSW disposal would be interested in participating in recovery and recycling
especially as these may off-set disposal costs. A regular characterization of household
waste is also necessary in order to investigate or assess potentials for recovery/reuse
and recycling. Thus alongside characterization study, a household survey to investigate
socioeconomic variables that determine waste production as well as trigger interest in
participating in waste management need to be carried out for the case study
communities. A major setback, however, is the lack of convincing data for informed
decision making and for understanding the mutually beneficial outcome from the joint
involvement and participation of both administration and the public.
Although material recovery and recycling activities are not on a wider operation in
Cameroon, convincing evidence on the economic and ecological benefits as well as
public perceptions and values associated with the ventures would constitute a stepping-
stone for implementation as well as greater enhancement of existing schemes. More so,
seeking other options for MSWM other than the highly practiced land filling would be
very useful as it will lead to reduction not only in quantity of what goes to the landfill but
7
also landfill space.
1.3 Research Questions
This research will seek to address the following questions:
What are the major challenges facing MSWM in Cameroon and which are some
existing local MSWM practices that can be expanded upon to ensure ecological
and economic sustainability of existing schemes
Given existing condition of MSWM in Cameroon, what are the possible options
for introducing or rejecting broader scale recycling and recovery into such
systems?
Which strategies can be used to design appropriate MSW collection systems to
direct consumer behavior in desired directions?
What are the likely economic and socio-cultural motivations as well as non-
motivational behaviors that can spur both the public and other groups to
participate in developing solid waste recycling and material recovery in
Cameroon?
What impacts do the lack of, or existing policies have on the above motivations?
Do present state-of-the-art in technology and methods applied by small recycling
schemes as well as industries in Cameroon meet up with both the economic and
ecological objectives of recycling and recovery?
1.4 Research Objectives and Scope
The general objective of this research is to evaluate aspects of MSWM by municipal
councils in Cameroon on one hand and the conceptualization and operation of recycling
and material recovery especially by small- and medium-size industries (SME),
businesses and some municipal council in Cameroon and the roles they play in the
important areas of poverty alleviation and ecological sustainability.
The specific objectives are:
To critically review the existing MSW handling and collection schemes in
Cameroon and how they may affect operational considerations for material
recovery and recycling.
8
To evaluate the level of recycling/reuse of some components of solid waste by
SMEs in Cameroon as well as to characterize production within the sector.
Hence their contributions to poverty alleviation and ecological sustainability will
be assessed.
To assess possible opportunities for material recovery by small-scale schemes in
Cameroon thereby testing if recycling and recovery could be preferred options for
MSWM.
To investigate the socio-economic determinants and other motivational and
institutional aspects involved in recycling and recovery/reuse as perceived by
households (i.e. public) and also how these determinants may affect the viability
of SMEs concerned with solid waste recycling and material recovery.
To design appropriate strategies for the sustenance, enhancement and
implementation of recycling and material recovery schemes in Cameroon
This research presents the MSWM issue in Cameroon and assesses the plausibility of
implementing greater recycling and recovery from an adaptive standpoint. Attention is
given to aluminum, EEE at end-of-life in order to address the main thesis of this
research. Public willingness to participate in recycling and recovery as well as their
perceptions, attitudes and values were also investigated. The effect of policy (existent or
non-existent) options is also presented.
1.5 Research Method
The following research techniques have been used in this research: fieldwork,
administration of questionnaires, direct verbal interviews, phone interviews and
literature analysis. Chapters Three to Six represent four different studies thereby
making them independent in their own standing yet forming a significant part of the
whole research. Due to this structure, the method used in each of these studies is
described in the given chapter.
1.6 Rationale of research
As earlier stated, small/medium-scale recycling and material recovery schemes exist in
9
Cameroon. More so there are some plans to set up pilot plants for MSWM3. However,
there is the general lack of or availability of insufficient data for informed decision-
making on such projects and operations. This study would serve to bridge this data and
knowledge gap. It would also be a pioneer contribution to the understanding of public
perception and attitudes towards the recycling and recovery in particular and MSWM in
Cameroon in general. Based on the argument that there is a direct link between poverty
and environmental condition (Bdilya and Lyam, 2002), this study will have significant
implications for economic development and ecological sustainability.
According to the IFAD rural poverty report (2001),
„Poverty has many dimensions and efforts to reduce it therefore must be multi-targeted‟.
The activities of existing small/medium-scale schemes for recycling and material
recovery represent some economic operations. Thus development of this sector implies
positive economic development. Governments as well as local councils in Cameroon
address to some extend the problem of MSWM. Yet they are often faced with the issue
of lack of data for enhance informed decision-making. This research serve to fill to a
considerable extend the data gap in the area of MSWM, recycling by SMEs and also to
present strategies for greater stakeholder participation in MSWM in Cameroon.
1.7 Thesis layout
This dissertation is divided into two main parts: Roman numeral pages and the main
research work. The Roman numeral pages consist of title pages (English and German),
listings of figures, tables, abbreviations used, acknowledgments, certification page and
abstract. The main research work is divided into seven chapters. Each of Chapters
three to six represents individual studies in their own standing with standard divisions
like chapter objectives, study methods and results and conclusion. Chapter seven then
is a summary of the different conclusions and recommendations from the preceding
chapters.
In chapter one, the research is introduced and in it aspects such as the research
problem, objectives and methodology are described. The theoretical underpinnings of
3 Personal communication by myself and other researchers
10
the research are presented in Chapter Two. This involves a discussion on the concepts
of sustainable development and poverty alleviation and how environmental
management relates to these concepts. The MSWM situation in Cameroon is presented
using case studies in chapter three. The major constrains and challenges faced are
discussed and strategies to implement sustainable MSWM are proposed. In chapter
four, the role of especially SMEs in the recovery and recycling of EEE at end-of-life is
presented. The recycling of Aluminum and other metals by SMEs is presented in
chapter five. A description of processes involved is made and other socioeconomic as
well as technological concerns are highlighted. In chapter six the roles of the different
stakeholders in ensuring recycling and recovery become incorporated into MSWM is
assessed. A case is thus presented for recycling and recovery as options for sustainable
MSWM in Cameroon based on the results from the preceding chapters. Then a list of
references of cited articles, texts and appendices are presented at the end.
11
Chapter Two
Theoretical Framework of Research
Chapter Abstract
This chapter presents a theoretical overview of the issue under investigation of this
research. It begins with a basic argument for the rationale of the research. Then key
concepts embedded in the research are briefly examined from the viewpoint of their
relevance to this research. The bigger problem of MSWM in developing countries is
broadly discussed. The chapter ends with a brief recount of previous studies on MSWM
in Cameroon, which serve to justify why this present study focuses on recycling and
recovery as vital options for MSWM.
2.1 Overview
This research builds on the basic argument that in the sustainability discourse, human
activities impact in some significant way on the quality of the environment they inhabit.
Such an impact may either be positive or negative in the short or long run. Irrespective
of the nature of the impact, the overriding tenets should be that present activities should
not compromise future ones. The sustainability debate has rallied ever greater public
concern in the area of environmental and natural resources use. If one takes the case of
mineral exploitation, it has often been predicted that the present state of exploitation of
some minerals compared to the time for such original minerals to be formed would imply
a likely depletion of such a mineral resource. Also, arisings from several of man's
activities (such as waste) may constitute a serious environmental problem if such
arisings are not disposed of in environmentally friendly ways. Thus to tackle the
resource depletion problem effort is being made in recovering, re-using and recycling
some or all arisings although efforts at the moment are not void of some setbacks. In
cases where arisings can be handled as just mentioned, effort is made either to greatly
reduce arisings or to dispose of arisings in an environmentally sound manner.
In this research, the issue of environmental and resource management is discussed
with particular attention to the problem of MSWM. The choice of MSWM is based on the
fact that it has a direct linkage to ecological sustainability and poverty alleviation. More,
12
the research sought to make a case for greater implementation of recycling and material
recovery as part of MSWM schemes in Cameroon given these are appropriate options
to offset landfilling costs and to rally greater stakeholder involvement. Also, recycling
and material recovery stand among the most appropriate options for handling the fastest
growing waste stream at the moment – i.e. WEEE. In the foregoing parts of this
sections, a theoretical appraisal of the fundamental concepts embedded in this research
are examined. This research advocates sustainable management approaches to
MSWM – which has social, economic and environmental dimensions situates the
research within the realms of sustainable development.
2.2 Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation in Environ-
mental Management
2.2.1 Sustainable Development
The term sustainable development was first coined by the Brundtland commission
(United Nation, 1987) to mean development that:
“meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”.
The concept of sustainable development encompasses three core dimensions: social,
economic and environmental, which of course do intersect. The implementation of the
sustainable development paradigm into different agendas a few years after the concept
was coined was faced by some difficulties. Ten years after the introduction of the term,
came the emergence of Agenda 21, which laid a solid foundation for the promotion of
sustainable development in terms of social, economic and environmental progress.
Agenda 21 has 40 chapters but its recommendations can be divided into four main
areas summarized in UNEP's Global Environmental Outlook handbook 3 (UNEP GEO
3, 2002) as follows:
social and economic issues such as international cooperation to accelerate sustainable
development, combating poverty, changing consumption patterns, demographic dynamics
and sustainability, and protecting and promoting human health.
Conservation and management of resources for development, such as protection of the
atmosphere, combating deforestation, combating desertification and drought, promoting
sustainable agriculture and rural development, conservation of biodiversity, protection of
freshwater resources, and the oceans, and the sound management of toxic chemicals and
13
hazardous wastes.
Strengthening the role of major groups, including women, children and youth, indigenous
people and their communities, NGOs, local authorities' initiatives in support of Agenda 21,
workers and their trade unions, business and industry, the scientific and technological
community, and farmers
means of implementation, including financial resources and mechanisms, transfer of
environmentally sound technology, promoting education, public awareness and training,
international institutional arrangements, international legal instruments and mechanisms, and
information for decision-making.
Based on the three core dimensions, sustainable development can further be
conceptually viewed as environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and socio-
political sustainability. There are indigenous arguments however for a fourth dimension
to sustainable development, which is cultural. The concept of sustainable development
has over time faced some disagreements in the need for its implementation. More so,
based on a multidisciplinary perspective, there has been a lack of a comprehensive
theoretical framework for understanding sustainable development and its complexities
(Jabareen, 2004). Jabareen's conceptual analysis identified seven distinct concepts
(figure 2.1), which composed the theoretical world of sustainability: the concept of
ethical paradox, the concept of natural capital stock, the concept of eco-form, the
concept of integrative management, the concept of utopianism, the concept of political
global agenda (Jabareen, 2008).
Although, several authors have expressed contentious views on the subject of
sustainable development (Redclift, 1994; Villanueva, 1997; Berke and Conroy, 2000;
Mazaffar, 2001), it is obvious from the several applicability of sustainable development
that there are several good sides to it although Beatley and Manning (1998) states the
term needs better definition and elaboration. One of the conceptual bases of this
dissertation builds on ecological sustainability or ecological sustainable development.
One of the broad conditions of sustainability builds on the claim that waste should only
be produced within the ability to process or assimilate them. Such a claim would, under
ideal consideration, imply zero waste state i.e. waste may be reprocess to useful
materials as well as energy or assimilated through reuse and recycling programs.
14
Figure 1 A conceptual framework for sustainable development (Source: Jabareen, 2004)
2.2.2 Poverty Alleviation
Poverty and extreme poverty are conditions that have for long been ascribed to
developing countries and more especially the rural areas of such countries. Given
poverty is observed more in rural areas, focus in alleviating it has also been on stepping
up development in such areas. In the past decade, rapid rural exodus has resulted to
increasing poverty conditions in urban communities too. There is no unambiguous
definition for poverty but however, it could be described in terms of income per person,
social indicators, and human development and human poverty. Poverty has also been
characterized in terms of: geographic location, household size and head, education,
health, conflict, gender, and production and income (IFAD 2001). In Table 2.1, poverty
incidence for both rural and urban cases for some West and Central African countries is
presented. Although rural poverty predominates, the converse is true for Cameroon,
which has a vibrant agricultural production that generates some satisfactory income for
rural population. On the other hand, rural exodus, results in overcrowding in cities with
little job opportunities thereby increasing the poverty level.
Integrative Management
Equity Natural Capital Stock
Utopia Eco-form
Ethical Paradox
Global Agenda
15
Table 1 Rural and Urban poverty incidence in selected countries (various years)
Poverty incidence (% of Rural, Urban, Total population)
Country Rural Urban Total
Benin 33 31 32
Burkina Faso 65 13 56
Cameroon 32 44 40
Central African Republic 77 33 61
Chad 67 63 64
Cote d'Ivoire 70 30 33
Gambia 73 21 49
Ghana, The 45 26 39
Guinea 52 51 52
Guinea-Bissau 65 29 54
Mali 81 52 73
Mauritania 59 19 37
Niger 66 52 63
Nigeria 36 30 34
Senegal 78 21 55
Sierra Leone 74 36 56
Rural/Urban sharesa
74 26 100
a Shares are weighted by population
Sources: World Bank, CASIN 1997:43; World Bank (2000b), Poverty Assessments, IFAD COSOPs
Because poverty has many dimensions and strategies to combat it can vary in scale, it
suffices then to admit in addition to several efforts towards poverty alleviation that have
focused on agricultural development and health, shifts to other areas such as
empowering SMEs to be innovative in business and hence development can be quite
beneficial. The case for poverty has been rallying massive support from the international
community and development partners have had to redirect their actions in a bid to
address this fundamental problem. While efforts by development partners have to
carried out with three key contextual issues in mind: globalization, HIV/AIDS pandemic
and Armed conflicts (IFAD, 2001), there are indeed some spots for which assistance
16
may still flow without all of the above three contextual parameters in play. An example is
the improvement and expansion of local technologies and practices by some SMEs
which positively impact on poverty alleviation. The activities of existing small/medium-
scale schemes for recycling and material recovery represent some economic
operations. Thus development of this sector implies positive economic development.
Governments as well as local councils in Cameroon address to some extend the
problem of MSWM. Yet they are often faced with the issue of lack of data for enhance
informed decision-making. This research serves to fill to a considerable extend such a
data gap.
SMEs represent a major contributor to economic development in most developing
countries. Although SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa employ between 17 – 27% (Sandy,
2004) of adult work force, their socio-economic benefits: provision of income for
individuals, reduction of rural exodus and promotion of industrialization are quite
significant. According to Reynolds et al., (2002), entrepreneurship theoretically
contributes to economic growth, which consequentially reduces poverty.
As early as 1960s, SMEs started emerging in Cameroon mainly in the craft sector. And
as reported in Awa (1993), the government motioned the establishment and promotion
of private enterprises in the mid-1980s. Thus SMEs have been operating and emerging
for a while in Cameroon but conspicuous efforts by the government to booster this
sector was in 2004 during which decree No. 2004/320 of 8 December 2004, creating the
Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft
(MINPMEESA) was passed. This ministry became charged with the role of defining and
implementing government's policy relating to SMEs thereby enhancing economic growth
through the promotion of the private sector. Ngoasong (2007) in an empirical study of
some SMEs in Kumba, Cameroon, reveals that while economic profit is a priority for
most entrepreneurs, SMEs exists mainly to alleviate poverty through income generating
activities and contribute to economic development by providing employment for job
seekers and household income for the poor. He further asserts that the SMEs studied
focus on adapting, imitating and modifying existing innovations rather than pursuing
genuine Schumpeterian4 (Schumpeter, 1942) innovation. This suggests that innovation
4 Schumpeter in his book “Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy,” first published in 1942, pioneered a discussion
on the concept of “creative destruction”. This is an economic growth theory in which old ways of doing things
17
is not yet a priority for the SME sector and therefore policies aimed at catching up with
modern technology should be the central focus in providing assistance for indigenous
entrepreneurs.
2.2.3 The interconnection: Poverty Alleviation, Sustainable Development and
Environmental Management
Bdilya and Lyam (2002) assert a direct linkage between poverty and the state of the
environment .Such a poverty-environment link is also described in Bojo et al., (2001)
and Bosch et al., (2001). It is also considered that there are inter-linkages between
poverty alleviation, environmental degradation and attaining sustainable developing. In
a study to investigate such inter-linkages (from a case study of Pakistan), Khan (2008)
found out that there is a common belief that poverty leads to environmental degradation,
which is not clearly supported by evidence. However, a stronger evidential support
exists for the fact that environmental degradation affects the poor more. The
dependence on natural resources by poor rural communities makes them vulnerable to
environmental degradation (Cavendish 2000).
Although the above assertion on linking poverty, state of environment and economic
growth is seen as true for rural communities, the underlying causes of problems related
to the three dimensions may not necessarily be sparked by the rural poor. If one takes
the case of solid waste management, one finds out that there are generators of waste
who are not the poor and because such wastes are poorly managed, the poor may
stand to suffer the likely detrimental effects on the environment and health. From
another perspective like forest resource exploitation and agriculture, the connection
between poverty and the state of the environment is very direct. In such cases, increase
poverty only leads to increased dependence on natural resources, most often in
unchecked ways.
An interesting aspect of the linkage between the three dimensions that applies to
especially developing countries and which constitutes a basis for this research is the
case of MSWM. Normally poor MSWM leads to environmental degradation;
within industries or business are endogenously destroyed and replaced by new ones entrepreneurs innovate not
just by using exiting inventions but also introducing new ways of organizing around production and distribution
(i.e. new means of production, new products, new forms of organization)
18
environmental degradation affect human health conditions for communities, and poor
health conditions affects economic growth (as both human and economic resources,
which could be used for growth are at stake). Given the established poverty conditions
of developing country communities, income generating activities of any sort cannot be
minimized especially when carried out in a safe way. Thus the recovery and recycling of
items or components from the waste stream by communities in developing countries
have both economic and environmental benefits. The beneficial aspect of this inter-
linkage can in most cases be better exploited in developing countries though SMEs and
other private or community-based organizations as these get to impact directly at
grassroots community levels.
2.3 MSWM in Developing Countries
MSWM in developing countries has most often been the responsibility of the public
sector (government) and/or municipalities. The municipal solid waste problem,
becoming of alarming proportion due to exponential population growth, changing
economic activities, and inadequate management and financial resources, presents
greater challenges to developing countries. Until the 1980s, MWSM constituted a major
problem for most municipalities given it entailed huge cost and received scant attention
(Bhide and Sundersand, 1983). Within the past decade, some developing countries
have been giving greater attention to this problem thereby redefining approaches to
improve on the situation. Research into the MSWM problems in developing countries
show some similarities in results especially with respect to solid waste composition and
management constraints faced. Despite these similarities, socioeconomic variables,
which may differ significantly for different countries greatly account for observed
differences in generation and composition (Buenstro et al., 2001a). Despite generalized
similarities in MSW composition and challenges for management in developing
countries (i.e. problems), Shimoura et al., (2000) attest that such problems in detail
terms are quite country specific and that solving them requires the construction and
installation of essential facilities and machinery, based on a suitable management plan.
They further attest that for management to be successful, the plan must be formulated
with a full understanding of the problems involved.
A very common characteristic structure of MSWM systems in developing countries has
19
to do with collection, transportation and disposal of waste while other options as
recovery, recycling and reprocessing for energy still remain highly underdeveloped. As
Klundert and Anschütz (2001) put it, waste collection in developing countries is an issue
of growing concern whereby about 50% of residents in urban areas of these countries
lack collection services. Given that many municipalities are still to implement
comprehensive MSWM plans that will have a wider scale of operation, it therefore
implies in practice, however, a lower proportion of residents (compared to the 50%) do
indeed have access to any collection facilities. Coupled with lack of collection facilities,
the frequent lack of hard data on MSW generation and composition in developing
countries (Shimura et al., 2001) constrains the decision to design and adopt
alternatively suitable strategies for better collection. Thus knowledge of the waste
generation and composition may give an indication on whether to embark on recycling
for example or not. In a survey of solid waste generation and composition in rapidly
growing urban area in Central Nigeria, Sha'ato et al., (2007) reject recycling as a
preferred management option. Such a rejection may only hold stronger validity if
recycling is considered only in the light of large scale operations or when components of
wastes such as WEEE are absent (or there is lack of information on their composition).
Aside such surveys like the afore-mentioned, Shimura et al., (2001) state that
developing countries do not generally conduct a MSW stream analysis due to
inadequate knowledge of the proper methods involved, and a lack of the considerable
manpower, time, and funds required. Transportation of waste to final disposal site is
another area of concern for developing countries. There is always the problem of
insufficient and inadequate transport facilities, which could be as a result of financial
constrains in acquiring proper and sufficient facilities, rapid generation for which
collection is not met up, and lack of will by municipalities to acquire facilities.
Sustainable and environmentally friendly waste disposal poses the greatest challenge to
developing countries when one considers the activities of most existing schemes. First,
there is the problem of illegal household disposal as well as varied choices of disposal
options at the level of households. Second, selecting appropriate sites for disposal of
MSWW based on geotechnical, sanitary and environmental considerations have been
problematic. Third, there is the lack of policies and regulations on the operation of
disposal facilities or in case where such instruments exist there is poor implementation
of them. Despite increasing patterns in waste generation, handling the problem of
20
disposal, as in the case of developing countries where most of the waste is bound for
disposal (Das et al., 1998 - for the case of India) has become challenging (Idris et al.,
2004). A common economic and administrative problem with MSWM in developing
countries is that of insufficient private and public funds to sustain existing schemes and
corrupt management systems (Gupta et al., 1998; Buenstro et al., 2001a). According to
Kumar et al., (2005), MSWM is influenced by a complex interrelationship of political,
legal, socio-cultural, environmental and economic factors as well as available resources.
2.4 Managing the WEEE waste stream
The WEEE waste stream is now considered the fastest growing waste stream. The
rapidly growing market for EEE, the fast changing designs and short equipment live-
span all compound on the problems created by WEEE and thus call for effective
management. Effectively managing WEEE may present different challenges to different
countries as well as regions. In most cases, the WEEE waste stream has been treated
as a separate waste stream rather than together with the MSW stream. Thus in recent
times there have been efforts towards formulation of policies and regulations aimed at
effectively managing WEEE in a sustainable way. A very important strategy in the
management of WEEE is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). According to
Thomas Lindhquist (who first used the term EPR in 1990), EPR is:
“an environmental protection strategy to reach an environmental objective of a decreased total
environmental impact from a product, by making the manufacturer of the product responsible for the
entire life-cycle of the product and especially for the take-back, recycling and final disposal of the
product”
The implementation of EPR based on the Swedish context bears on some key attributes
articulated therein: liability, economic responsibility, physical responsibility and
informative responsibility. The Organization of Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) define EPR as:
“an environmental policy approach in which a producer‟s responsibility, physical and/or financial, for
a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product‟s life cycle”.
There are two key features of EPR policy: (1) the shifting of responsibility (physically
and/or economically, fully or partially) upstream to the producer and away from
municipalities, and (2) to provide incentives to producers to take environmental
considerations into the design of the product and with the producer bearing
responsibility for such products at EoL (OECD, 2000). Approaches to implement EPR
21
may be regulatory, negotiated and voluntary. In an expanded form, EPR serves the role
of shifting responsibility for WEEE from government to private sector, requiring
producers and importers/sellers to internalize waste management prices in their product
prices (Hanisch, 2000) with such responsibility applying to post consumer stage. Thus
EPR extends traditional environmental responsibilities to include management at post-
consumer stage. EPR also ensures borne responsibilities apply both in downstream (i.e.
treatment and/or disposal of product) and upstream (material selection and product
design) operations.
In the EU, the WEEE Directive 2002/96 EC is one of the major regulatory instruments of
the EU waste management policy. The directive is designed to address a series of
issues on WEEE in terms of variety of products, association of different materials and
components, contents in hazardous substances and growth pattern. It also seeks to
induce design modifications that make WEEE easier to dismantle, recycle and recover.
Finally, it plays an important role in reducing the dispersion of hazardous substances in
shredder residues which are problematic waste streams if they are contaminated by
such substances (the review of the EU WEEE Directive 2002/96 EC
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/review_2002_96_ec_directive.pdf).
In Canada, management of WEEE is imbibed in the national stewardship principles for
electronics products (including consumer access, product mix, the designation of
responsible parties, performance targets and recycling standards), adopted by the
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) in June 2004. These
principles provide a framework to develop and set up WEEE programs in each province
and the harmonization of the key elements that are necessary for balancing
environmental and economic considerations (Festzy and Calder, 2007). Many Canadian
provinces have developed, or are in the process of developing, their own schemes and
legislation. Alberta launched a take back program for WEEE in 2004 with the collection
of advanced discharge surcharge on designated electronics. In 2004, Ontario filed a
WEEE regulation under its Waste Diversion Act with the designation of 7 categories and
more than 200 items on target. Saskatchewan launched a WEEE regulation in 2005 that
designates mainly PCs, Laptops and their related peripherals, and TVs for collection
and recycling. Most of these pioneer efforts in Canada are limited in scope to computer
monitors, laptop and notebook computers, CPUs, printers and televisions.
22
Unlike in the EU where a special directive on WEEE is in place, in the US, there are a
number of electronic waste Bills that are under consideration in relation to managing
WEEE. Such Bills may be applicable to a limited or specific range of equipments such
as the National Computer recycling Act. Waste laws may also cover WEEE although
range of coverage may differ from state to state. Laws concerning the handling of
particular components of WEEE such as batteries also exist (an example being the
1996 Mercury-containing and Rechargeable Battery Act). Some states in the US have
made significant efforts in implementing legislation on WEEE. In some cases, there has
been complete ban on WEEE disposal to landfills (Arkansas, 2001; California, 2003;
Massachusetts, 2000 and Minnesota).
According to Osibanjo and Nnorom (2007), the challenges facing the developing
countries in e-waste management include: an absence of infrastructure for appropriate
waste management, an absence of legislation dealing specifically with e-waste, an
absence of any framework for end-of-life (EoL) product take-back or implementation of
extended producer responsibility (EPR). However, there exist some practices in the
handling of e-waste upon which expanded and comprehensive recycling/recovery
programs can be built (Asong and Nkemnkeng, 2006). Thus while there is the need for
developing country governments as well as other sectors to face up the challenges
involved in the management of e-waste, there is also need for them to re-examine
ongoing practices in the handling of such waste.
2.5 Recycling and Material Recovery
Recycling comprises the collection of recyclable material (considered waste), the sorting
and processing of these into raw materials (such as fibers) and the manufacturing of
these materials into new products (EPA, 2006). Because recycling involves several
different activities, technological and institutional aspects may vary for the process with
respect to materials and communities. The recycling process represent a cyclic loop
which may have either all components on the loop being undertaken in a given locality
or components spatially separated (for example, recyclables collected in one country
may be transported to another country for reprocessing into new products). Recycling
presents enormous opportunities as a means to municipal solid waste management
(MSWM) in general and enhancing equilibrium within the material cycle in particular.
23
According to EPA (2003) reports on MSWM, recycling recovered 30% (68 million Tons)
of MSW generated in 2001 and the number of community curbside recycling programs
had increased 5% more than in the previous year. The report also shows that MSW
recovered through recycling in 2001 was 29.7%, land disposal 55.7% and combustion
14.7%. Thus there is still the need for optimization of recovery. Recycling may be a
major or minor consideration in a SWM plan depending on the design of such a given
plan.
Recycling generally begins at the point of waste generation, through the several
methods of collection and subsequent transportation to a resource or material recovery
facility. This facility, however, may be part of a disposal facility or an independent entity
intended for a particular purpose. Although the term recycling is being thought by some
to be synonymous to reprocessing, it may differ in some respect to the latter. The
significant difference between the two lies in: 1) the basic definition; 2) cost and capacity
implications; 3) origins of waste; and 4) while in recycling items are recovered in forms
which can be reused, in reprocess the waste is reduced to one or more materials from
which completely new products are made (Manser and Keeling, 1996). Thus recycling
involves selective recovery for reuse and reprocessing involves general reduction of
component for alternative uses. Landreth and Rebers (1997) use tertiary recycling as a
synonym for reprocessing although the use of such a term can be highly contested and
may invite some ambiguity. Despite such specification in usage, reprocess as stated
above is an aspect of recycling because recycling is basically the process whereby
waste is put into some new use (hence whereby waste becomes resource).
In terms of cost and capacity, a recycling venture by implication will involve lower cost
and capacity than for reprocessing. When one gets to look at the two in terms of income
generated, one notices that depending on context, a recycling venture may be
economically accommodating than a reprocessing one. It requires much capital cost to
set up a reprocessing plant given all sorts of wastes may be brought in without any prior
separation by generator. But recycling may be something involving just a few pickers to
bigger scale operations like a recovery facility. Manser and Keeling (1996) ascertain a
reprocessing facility worth $8 million may yield at least $1.8 million a year while orders
of costs in a recycling scheme may range from zero to $3.5 million. Thus as a means to
waste management, feasibility studies are essential to decide which may be appropriate
24
for a particular situation – recycling or reprocessing. In all, the decision to choose which
of the two (recycling or reprocessing) is to be used for a given situation depends on the
cost to be tolerated. While recycling suffers a greater financial burden on collection with
a resulting cheaper disposal, the converse holds for reprocessing. Hence unless there
is external support or subsidies such as funding by some public authorities, the decision
on whether to reprocess or recycle waste can be very crucial.
The recycling process in its entirety defines a loop or a cyclical pattern (figure 2.2)
involving three basic steps: collection of recyclables, manufacturing of recycle-based
products and marketing of products. Any other steps or activities involved in a recycling
Figure 2 Schematic representation of recycling of household waste within MSWM stream (source: author‟s construct)
venture build upon from these basic steps or may have to do with checking on the
successful implementation of these steps. These additional steps may involve the
formulation of institutional tools and business approach for different recycling programs.
The need for any organized MSWM stems from the very basis of what quantity of waste
Household collection of recyclables
Municipal Solid
Waste
Products at end-of-life
MSW
(including recyclables
not diverted to
recycling scheme)
Marketable products
Reprocessing?
Disposal?
Recovery of recyclables at
MRF
Processing into recycled based
products
25
is being generated and at what rate. It may also be backed up by the characteristics of
the waste and its consequent impacts on the environment. Thus from information on the
characteristics of a waste stream, the decision on whether to recover and recycle,
reuse, discard or incinerate waste can be made.
Table 2.2 presents some data on the quantity of some specific materials (paper and
cardboard, aluminum and plastics) recovered in the US from 1960 to 2001. Safe for
aluminum, the other two components show a significant increase in recovery from 1960
– 2007. But in terms of percent of total recovery of each material, it is observed that
there has been an increase for aluminum. Narrowing the focus to aluminum, a more
vivid picture on the state of material aluminum waste generation, recovery and discard
Table 2 Material Recovery* from MSW stream in the US, 1960 – 2007 (in thousands of tons and
percent of total recovery of each material)
Material 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 2005 2006 2007
Paper and
Paperboard
5,080 6,770 11,740 20,230 37,560 40,730 41,960 43,380 45,240
Aluminum Neg. 10 310 1,010 860 710 690 690 730
Plastics Neg. Neg. 20 370 1,480 1,720 1,760 2,050 2,090
Percent of total recovery of each material (%)
Paper and
Paperboard
16.9 15.3 21.3 27.8 42.8 47.1 49.5 51.4 54.5
Aluminum Neg. 1.3 17.9 35.9 26.9 21.6 20.7 20.3 21.8
Plastics Neg. Neg. 0.3 2.2 5.8 5.8 6.0 6.9 6.8
* Recovery of post-consumer waste; does not include converting/fabrication scrap
Neg. represents proportions <5,000tons or 0.05%.
(Source: author's adaptation from Franklin Associates, In: EPA report 2008. p35, 36, and 37)
in the US from 1960 – 2001 is presented in figure 2.3. It is observed that in relative
terms, there was a significant rise in recovery between 1980 and 1990 and a
subsequently gradual drop after 2000. Generation and discards seem however, to have
been on an increase. The simple inference that can be drawn from figure 2.3 is that the
gap between discard and recovery seems to have been expanding in favor of discard.
One explanation could lie in the difficulty of recovering aluminum from other waste
26
streams like furniture. When one takes the case of aluminum in MSW in the US in 2000,
one notices it is not from all available sources of aluminum that the metal can be
recovered. Aluminum from durable as well as non-durable goods (such as appliances
and furniture), food and other cans were not recovered. It is thus apparent that the
recovery of aluminum from these three sources can be described as still inefficient. The
main source of recovery was beer/soft drinks cans with a 49.0% recovery. In summary,
the total aluminum recovery from aluminum products in waste stream in 2007 was far to
lower than what is discarded (i.e. 1.010 tons to 730 tons). On the other hand, a greater
ratio of recovery to discard was achieved for the container and packaging sector –
40.0% to 60% (EPA, 2001). Hence recovery is good for some sectors and not others.
At the moment efforts are being put to increase recovery rates but these are working
well for UCBs than for food and other cans
Figure 3 Aluminum in products in MSW generated, recovered and discarded in the
US, 1960 – 2007 (Source: adapted from Franklin Associates, In: EPA report 2008).
Collection is in itself, the most costly operation in recycling as well as waste MSWM.
Thus there is the problem of full cost accounting and cost analysis in any collection. In
any case, the cost of a collection plan is dependent on the system used. Diaz et al.,
(1993) describe three factors essential to the design of a collection system and thee
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
196019701980199020002004200520062007
Aluminum generated
Aluminum recovered
Aluminum discarded
27
include: 1) degree of source separation; 2) type of container(s) for storage of recyclable
until collection; and 3) accessibility to containers by collector. Collection systems may
fall in one of the following categories: curbside collection, containerized collection, drop-
off collection, and buy-back collection. In curbside collection, recyclables are kept along
the sides of streets for onward collection by collectors. This collection system is
considered the most convenient collection method for residential areas as residents
have just a short distance to place recyclables along the street. In containerized
collection, provision is made for storage and collection of separated recyclables given
there are containers allocated for particular recyclables. In such a case, recyclables are
already sorted before being brought to the collection unit. A containerized collection
system can be quite useful in collecting recyclables from commercial establishments,
public and private institutions, and multifamily residential units. In a drop-off collection
system requires the generator transports recyclables to a recycling facility while in a
buy-back system, the generator receives remuneration for bringing waste to recycling
facility. Hence the difference between the drop-off and buy- back lies in the fact that in
the former there is no remuneration to the generator is remunerated while the generator
is remunerated in the latter.
Whether recyclables are separated or not by generator, they are later collected from
storage and transported to a recycling facility. Transportation is done using specialized
vehicles or trucks. Different approaches may be employed. Two commonly used
approaches to collection are: co-collection and dedicated collection. The Co-collection
approach is useful for situations where a relatively small volume of recyclables is
generated or where a large vehicle fleet is operational and the use of such a fleet
dictated by cost efficiency. With a larger availability of recyclables and in the case of a
large scale recycling, dedicated collection is a suitable approach. Thus co-collection
may be suitable for smaller communities and operations at beginning stages while
dedicated collection is suitable for operations that have gone past formative stages and
ones in which large volumes of recyclables exist.
The location and definition of a market for recycled products is of major concern in any
recycling venture. When one looks back into the history of recycling and reprocessing
one notice that at some points where failures were being recorded, most of these
failures can be attributed to inability in meeting market conditions. Although one could
28
build such an argument on technology and failure to ascertain the characteristics of
products, both still indirectly boil down to market issues as bad products may not be
tolerated in the market or production cost not being recovered. However as Pearson
(1984) puts it:
“…..as the cost to recover valuable resources from the waste stream are reduced by lowering the cost of
collection and lowering the cost to separate and refine the resources, the markets for the refined products
will expand rapidly”.
In the US, market prices for recycled aluminum range from $350 - $800/ton from local
recyclers while these may be in values greater than $1000 on the West Coast
(Aluminum Can Recycling, 2003).
Public, governments and private sectors may play vital roles, both on individual or joint
basis, in managing recycling programs. The efforts of these groups, despite held
optimism, may be challenging. According to the BioCycle Guide to Maximum Recycling
(edited by the staff of the BioCylce Journal of Waste Recycling, 1993),
“…as recycling has become a reality for waste management , the challenges and pressures to implement
and operate programs as economically as possible have also increased dramatically. Pilot programs that
indicate strong participation and volume reduction must be modified to cut collection and processing
costs. Private firms need to be profitable in order to be sustainable”.
Pilot programs as well as fully operating recycling programs are widely in operation in
the US with remarkable success.
A characteristic institutional aspect of recycling is the market structure typified by two
tiers: intermediate and end user tiers (figure 2.4). The intermediate market serves as a
bridge between the generators of materials (recyclables) and the manufacturers
(products). The intermediate market consists of different groups which may differ with
respect to specific function. Some institutional determinants, however, have to be
described and determined for different recycling programs to ensure successful
execution. The existence of a market is a very important institutional aspect for any
recycling program. Despite its ecological benefits, cost recovery must be at the center of
any recycling program thus making recycling a highly economic venture. Therefore cost
borne by the public or community and the private sector ought to be reclaimed. In some
way cost is reclaimed by the economic approach of offsetting cost for alternative
disposal such as to landfills and incineration plants. Different countries have designed
several legislations relating to recycling but there are some similar aspects in these
29
legislations. Examples of such legislative measures that encourage recycling include:
Figure 4 Structural set up of market for recyclables (source: author‟s construct)
Waste Management Paper 28, 1992, Environmental Act 1995, and Making Waste Work
1995 in the UK; “bottle bill” legislation in the US; the „pfand‟ collection system in
Germany (similar to the „bottle bill‟ legislation) to name a few. These legislative
measures place some restrictions and motivations on industry, consumer and waste
collector as well as public and private institutions to prepare and implement plans for
recycling of generated waste. The measures generally place some targets on waste
generation and recovery; impose costs of some sort on waste generator and/or
collector; and specify conditions for safe disposal if such be the case. More so
legislation may dictate upon the recycled content of products.
In the UK, several Environmental Acts have been designed since the 1990s, which have
significant bearings to recycling. According to the 1990 Act, places some responsibilities
and powers on Waste Collection Authorities and Waste disposal Authorities (who may
be the recycler or not). This Act emphasizes on need for recycling plan, waste sorting
Intermediate
Markets
Generators of
Recyclables
Brokers
Collectors
Converters
Processors
End user
(Manufacturers)
Transforma- tion
Type separation
Commerce for bails
Salvage / buy
Recycled-based products to consumer
30
into different categories, availability of amenities for waste disposal, recycling credits
system. Efforts by waste collection authorities and waste producers may be futile if
consideration is not given to the nature of products at the level of production with
respect to material used as in the case with packaging consumer products. It is in this
light that the 1995 Environmental Act had to put a burden on the part of the producer by
means of the „producer principle‟, which covers several waste sectors like packaging
and electrical/electronic products. This Act unlike the 1990 Act is aimed at increasing
re-use, recovery and recycling of products through the setting of targets by Secretary of
State in consultation with industry or business sectors involved. Thus producer bears
part of disposal cost by introducing measures to re-use and recycle waste to set targets.
The introduction of the Landfill Tax has also been an incentive to recycle as this is
greatly reducing the amount of waste going to landfills (ENDS, 1997a).
In the US, mandatory and comprehensive legislations have been adopted by different
states and at the federal level, which significantly impact on recycling of waste. A typical
example of mandatory legislation is the bottle bill legislation, which mandates that a
deposit be placed on some specific beverage containers. This deposit which is paid by
the consumer is refunded when container is refunded to point of purchase. Curbside
collection is a comprehensive program that has proven quite effective in the reclamation
of beverage cans and has been on a competitive edge with bottle bill. Thus states that
initially adopted the bottle bill legislation find it difficult to adopt comprehensive
programs for the same purpose and the converse holds (Glass Packaging Institute,
2001). In state without deposit legislation, recycling programs of beverage cans are for
example, sustained based on revenues generated by MRFs. And because such
revenues may not meet costs, some public funding is quite necessary. Individual states
may adopt both comprehensive and mandatory legislations. Some states with
mandatory residential recycling legislation include: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Those with bottle deposit legislation
include: Mississippi and Massachusetts. And those with both legislations include: New
York, California and Connecticut.
On a regional scale, efforts are being put to encourage recycling especially with focus
on the consumer industry. In Europe, the EU Packaging Directive of 1994 stipulates that
a recovery of 50 – 65% of all packaging waste, of which 25 – 45% must be recycled and
31
a minimum of 15% of each material. Aside legislative specifications as per percentage
recovery, other legislative recommendations exist to guide transactions of recycled
products or scrap intended for recycling between industries in particular and the market
in general. An example of such a guideline is the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries‟
„Guideline for Metal Transactions‟ which took effect from May 3rd 2006. It gives standard
specifications for recycled aluminum from different potential sectors. Specifications
contained there are applicable to several other products such as copper and zinc.
Another institutional aspect of recycling that is quite crucial for a recycling program is a
description of the „life-cycle cost‟ of the program. A number of elements, which involve
capital investments and processing equipments, are being considered in this case such
as described by Kirshner (1990).
2.6 Previous Studies on MSWM in Cameroon
There is a general paucity of sound research in the area of MSWM and related aspects
of it in Cameroon. More so, research work has and is being carried on only for a
relatively smaller number of municipalities. Consequential to this is the fact that
concrete data and information to enable sound decision-making of improved MSWM
becomes a major setback. Despite this problem, a few authors have carried out
significant research in this area, which do present deeper insights in the MSWM issues,
though not exhaustive in the same.
Achankeng (2003) presents MSWM in Cameroon from a globalization and consequent
urbanization perspective using Bamenda and Yaounde as case studies. He identifies
globalization to be playing a negative role in solid waste management. He also
examines the stages of MSWM in which case he discusses options for better
management, yet from a general perspective and proposes some solutions. Ngnikam
(2000) assessed options for MSWM systems in Yaounde using Life-Cycle and
ELECTREIII5 decision support systems. And based on environmental and social
considerations, he recommended landfilling and accompanied biogas extraction as
most preferred option for MSWM for the city.
5 ELEKTRE III method (Roy, 1991) is one among the ELEKTRE family methods. It is a multicriteria decision-
making tool to evaluate alternative policy strategies based on successive pairwise comparisons of two
alternatives to establish out ranking relationships with respect to a predetermined set of criteria. Some
advantages of ELEKTRE III lies in its flexibility as described in Hedel and Vance.
32
Manga et al (2008) provide an evaluation of waste management in Cameroon from a
policy perspective. In this study, they assert that current regulations pertaining to solid
waste management are not adequate for addressing existing waste handling and
disposal problems, and that inefficiencies in implementation of existing policies are a
result of devolved responsibilities between several governmental agencies and the local
councils. Parrot et al., (2009) provide an overview of MWSM in Yaounde (the political
capital city of Cameroon) from a more socio-economic perspective, discuss obstacles to
management and present some strategies to improve on management. Their study
examines present MSW collection scenarios in the capital city of Yaounde, the role of
NGOs and CBOs and the impact the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) program
could have on MSWM. An assessment of the present scenario these authors and the
strategy they proposed especially for inaccessible residential quarters point to disposal
as the main option for MSWM.
Preliminary investigations into the possibilities of material recovery for Waste Electronic
and Electrical Equipments (WEEE) in Cameroon reveal that a range of adaptable
opportunities exist, which can be exploited for both economic and ecological benefits
(Asong and Nkemnkeng, 2006). Another study on the recycling of aluminum by small
private schemes in Cameroon mainly for the production of household utensils by Asong
(2006) show that such schemes represent a small yet significant sector with enormous
socio-economic and ecological benefits and can be operated at low cost. The above two
studies discuss the issue of material recovery and recycling in Cameroon, identify
problem areas and present options. They however do not provide: quantitative details
on production and recovery, test the level of a wider public participation and motivational
determinants of participation, and investigate the effect of existing policies (or lack of
policies) on these activities
Although all the above studies have made evaluation of some MSWM schemes in
Cameroon, examine the problems they face and propose strategies, it is worthy of
mention that these studies have been more generalized and considered MSW in bulk.
Thus a significant contribution this present research seeks to make in the area of
MSWM in Cameroon is by examining scenarios of MSWM in municipalities for which
much has not been done, then reduce the focus to two waste streams (Aluminum and
33
other metals, and WEEE) for which recycling and recovery can be highly encouraged.
By so doing, the conviction would be that instead of disposing of all collected waste,
municipalities could be offsetting collection and disposal cost through recycling and
recovery. Also the increasing rate of consumption of EEE and the complexity of its
resulting waste stream calls for urgent actions.
Another study with findings quite relevance to this research is Ngoasong (2007). He
makes an empirical study of SMEs in the city of Kumba, Cameroon based on the key
question: Does innovation matter for economic development? He investigates the
potential for indigenous SMEs in Cameroon to successfully emerge as agents of
economic development through innovation. The analysis includes the personal
characteristics that make up an indigenous entrepreneur as well as the contemporary
environments in which SMEs operate. The theoretical framework builds on
Schumpeter‟s notion that entrepreneurship contributes to economic development
through the interplay of three variable – new firm creation, innovation and competition.
The results reveal that while economic profit is a priority for most entrepreneurs, SMEs
exists mainly to alleviate poverty through income generating activities and contribute to
economic development by providing employment for job seekers and household income
for the poor. The SMEs studied focused on adapting, imitating and modifying existing
innovations rather than pursuing genuine Schumpeterian innovation. This suggests that
innovation is not yet a priority for the SME sector and therefore policies aimed at
catching up with modern technology should be the central focus in providing assistance
for indigenous entrepreneurs and these are suggested in this paper.
34
Chapter Three
Municipal solid waste management in Cameroon: practices,
constraints and options
Chapter Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of MSWM practices as well as an evaluation of existing MSWM
schemes in Cameroon from using two case study localities (Limbe municipality with an expanded
and relatively better developed management schemes and Buea municipality with a quite
rudimentary scheme), which represent a reflection of the general situation in the country. In this
chapter, the various practices in MSWM are elaborated, the constraints and challenges faced by
management discussed and proposals for either expanding/upgrading existing schemes to be more
sustainable as well as strategies to initiate new systems presented. Innovations within collection
systems such as the introduction of household bins and specialized collection of specific waste could
be quite beneficial to existing schemes. The lack of appropriate waste management policies and
regulatory directives, lack of research and development initiatives (through which systems can be
evaluated), inadequate funding, lack of motivation towards appropriate action due to socially held
perceptions (continued failure to change from the paradigm of just collect and disposal for the
purpose of hygiene and sanitation or keep the community clean) are some of the significant
problems plaguing management The adoption of Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) may
be quite vital for delivering sustainable MSWM solutions as this will involve all stakeholders, given
the problems faced by management cuts across different stakeholder concerns.
Keywords: MSWM, MSWM policies, ISWM and Stakeholders, Limbe, Buea
3.1 Introduction
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is an inevitable fate of communal activities
within any given human community as long as humans engage in the creation and use
of goods and services. The rate of generation may, however, differ for different
communities based on certain factors, which may be economic, technological and
socio-cultural or fundamentally institutional of some sort. Important factors with direct
relationship to rate of MSW generation include both growth in population and changing
consummation pattern, which are of course related to economic aspects (Buenrosto and
Bocco, 2003; Idris et al., 2004; Ojeda-Benite et al., 2003; Sha'Ato et al., 2007; .
According to the editorial on the Alchemist's Dream Resource (in Waste Management
35
26, 2006: 1203-1204), mankind is confronted by two questions in a bid to evaluate
suggestions for improving solid waste practices: 1) How much will it cost? and 2) Is the
proposed change worth the cost? It thus becomes obvious that a Cost-Benefit Analysis
(CBA) of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) activities is as essential
requirement for such activities to be sustainable or at least to attract further financial
inputs to run operations. Wilson (2007), from a historical context identifies six
development drivers in waste management for both developed and developing
countries: public health; environmental protection; resource value of waste; closing the
loop; institutional and responsibility issue; and public awareness.
Poor management of MSW or the absence of management remains a very challenging
task especially for developing countries. In cases where some forms of MSWM exist,
operations may be chaotic, poorly organized and prioritized, and even complex. The
intrinsic complexity in MSWM is not only unique to developing countries but also to
developed ones. Some research show that complexity arises due to significantly
different problems, which frequently conflict with each other (Conn, 1993; Hasome et
al., 2001). Achankeng, 2003, asserts that the need to manage MSW in an
environmentally effective, technologically feasible, economically affordable and socially
adaptable manner poses problems to all nations in the world and he does not only link
the problem to conflicts but also to the paradox of sustainability. The level to the
problem of MSWM poses challenges may differ greatly from country to country, but
being greater for developing that developed countries. According to Shimura et al.,
(2001), proper MSWM in developing countries would require the construction and
installation of essential facilities and machinery, based on a sustainable plan. Given the
economic constraints to fulfill such requirements, a more plausible aspect of
management should be one that considers adaptability to location specificities.
From a historical perspective in most developing countries, municipal solid waste
management (MSWM) practices in an organized manner have experienced some
positive changes only for a few municipalities. Such changes include the design and
implementation of schemes for collection and disposal of MSW at landfill locations.
These have shifted focus from the common practice of surface yard dumping behind
individual household to organized, though commingled collection and disposal to a
common disposal facility. In Cameroon much waste is disposed of mainly on land
36
surface as well as shallow pits. MSW constitute a serious environmental problem with
varying degrees of direct as well as indirect negative effects on the environment and its
ecosystems.
In Cameroon, some coordinated municipal solid waste management (MSWM) schemes
are operated by some municipal councils, contracted agents in the form of Non-
governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community-based Organization, (CBOs) and
Common Initiative Groups (CIGs). For example, alongside some municipal councils,
exist: two NGOs namely HYSACAM (Hygiene et Salubrité du Cameroon) which
operates in some municipalities namely Douala, Yaounde, Limbe, Mbalmayo, Soa,
Njombe and Penja, and CIPRE (International Centre for Promotion and Recycling)
which operates in Yaounde; and CBOs like TAM-TAM mobile, GIC-JEVOLEC, ERA
(Environment Recherche Action) Cameroon and Sarkan Zoumountsi, which all operate
in the capital city of Yaounde (see table 3.1 for a list of some organizations/groups
working in the area of MSW collection in the Yaounde municipality). There has also
been some collaboration with French partners INSA Valor and Equipe PLDEN with
some NGOs, councils, CBOs to develop an integrated MSWM scheme for the city of
Yaounde. Despite the lack of research and informative data on MSWM issues in
Cameroon, a few authors (cited in the previous chapters) have carried out significant
research in this area, which do present deeper insights in the MSWM issues, though not
exhaustive in the same. In these previous studies, however, the implications of existing
waste management schemes on recycling and resource recovery/reuse have not been
addressed. More so, suggestions presented have not focused on the issue of offsetting
cost within existing schemes. MSWM is one of such areas where transfer of strategies
may not yield much of expected results i.e. a management strategy may work for one
location and not for the other. Thus the concept of adaptive approach becomes
necessary in the enhancement of existing schemes or in the planning of new schemes.
This aspect has not been addressed in most of MSWM literature in Cameroon. A survey
of literature on MSWM in Cameroon also show that while the inclusion of all
stakeholders in planning and operating a scheme is recommended, the role of gender is
not being considered. Detail studies on public participation and cost-benefit analysis
(CBA) for existing schemes is generally lacking. Thus this study seeks to address some
of the lapses in MSWM as presented above.
37
In this chapter, MSWM in Cameroon is presented through the use of case studies. Two
case study localities used are Limbe and Buea municipalities. The municipal councils of
these two municipalities operate to some degree a MSWM scheme with the Limbe
council having a contracted agent (HYSACAM) to facilitate MSWM.
Table 3 List of organizations and groups involved in MSWM in Yaounde alongside municipal
council and HYSACAM
No Organization Type Created Members Area(s) of operation Major activities
1 Association des Voluntaires du
Developpement (AVD)
AT 1997 20 Mfoundi market Collection of market
waste
2 Association des Jeunes de
Merlin (ASOJEM)
YA 1999 31 Merlin V (near
Gendamerie
Nationale)
Fight against dirtiness
through daily human
investments
3 Association TAM-TAM Mobile YA 1997 40 Mvog-Beti Reflection of youth
misery and
unemployment;
cleaning and clearing
streets and roadside
4 Association des jeunes
dynamiques de L'EMIA
YA 2001 Merlin I Clearing around the
American centre
5 Dream team Association YA 1999 University residential
area
Students' experience
exchange
6 Association pour la preservation
de L'environnement et les
progres social SAEKAN
ZOUMOUNTI
YA 1994 13 Briqueterie Collection of waste and
gutter cleaning
7 Association des residents de
Mbenda
QA 1990 40 Mbenda (Nsimeyong
II)
Residential quarter
cleanliness
8 GIC Jovelic GIC 1997 5 Zibi, Nkolzie, SIC
Mendong
Door-to-door waste
collection, composting
and agriculture
9 CIPRE NGO 1996 Etoug-Ebe Recycling of plastic
waste; public
sensitization plastic
separation
10 Circle des jeunes de Merlin
Polytechnique
YA 1995 25 Merlin 4 Encourage quarter
cleanliness through
daily human
investment
38
11 Club de voluntaires de Nvog-
Ada (CVN)
NGO 1993 6 Mvog-Ada Cleaning of streets,
gutters and water
courses
12 FOCAFRE NGO 1992 7 Elig- Essono Waste collection, canal
and water courses
cleaning and MSW
composting
13 CAID NGO 1984 10 Mballa I Composting of waste
and cleaning of water
courses
14 Carrefour de la vie NGO 1992 20 Biyem-assi Urban cleanliness
15 ARC en Ciel (AEC) NGO 1999 7 Anguissa quarter Consultancy and
training towards
primary waste
collection
16 Centre d'Animation Sociale et
Saniatires (CASS)
NGO 1978 36 Nkolndongo Youth training for
micro-employment
projects and sports
17 ACADE PRO NGO 1983 Mimboman House-house waste
collection to public bins
18 Entreprise de Nettoye Industriel
au Cameroon SARL (ENICAM )
SME 1991 40 Elig Essono Cleaning industries;
collection of waste from
particular individuals
19 Ets BOB Foundation SARL SME 1987 36 Nkoufoulou Road
(near SAPLAIT)
Waste collection from
household, enterprises;
clean industries
20 Ets MEIDO SME 1 Mvog-Mbi Hires hysters
21 Yaounde Propre SME 2 Bastos Waste collection for
specific households in
Bastos quarter
(Source: after Achankeng, 2003)
The following abbreviations in the table represent: AT - Association of Traders; YA – Youth Association;
GIC – Common Initiative Group; NGO – non-governmental Organization; QA – Quarter Association; SME
– Small and Medium-size Enterprise
The aim of this study is to critically review the existing MSWM schemes in Cameroon.
Aspects of generation, handling, collection, transportation and final disposal reviewed
and analyzed. The impact of existing management operations on recycling and recovery
is discussed. The roles played by municipal councils and other contracted organizations
39
in MSWM are assessed. Proposals towards sustainable and adaptive schemes are
proposed. To attain the aim of this study, a field survey was conducted that comprised:
field observations, interviews and administration of questionnaires. Observations were
made in the field to have a clearer picture of the processes of waste handling,
collection, transportation and disposal. Telephone as well as verbal interviews were
conducted for some municipal authorities and organizations involved in MSWM. A total
of 100 questionnaires were administered separately to the public in Limbe and Buea
municipality respectively. The sample population for each community comprised of
students, households and small businesses. The questionnaire contained mainly close-
ended questions intended to provide insights into the MSWM practices. The
questionnaire recovery rate for Limbe was 100% while that for Buea was 83%. The data
derived from field survey, questionnaire and interviews were analyzed using descriptive
and exploratory approaches (Yin, 2003). Relevant data from previous studies
constituted secondary data source for this study.
3.2 MSWM Issues in Cameroon
3.2.1 Country Overview
The geographic area of Cameroon approximates a triangular surface with a total area of
475,650 sq. km (fig. 3.1). It has a population of about 16.6 million inhabitants. Its
geopolitical boundaries are as follows: to the west by the Federal Republic Nigeria;
northeast by the Republic of Chad; east by the Central African Republic; south by three
countries namely Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Gabon and the Republic of Congo-
Brazzaville. It is also geographically bounded to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean,
which forms a coastal line that stretches the entire southwest length of the country and
to the north by Lake Chad. The strategic location of Cameroon puts it at the crossroad
between Central and West Africa. Geopolitically, the country is divided into ten
Regions6, headed by presidential appointed Governors. The regions are further divided
into divisions, sub- divisions, all with appointed administrative heads. All divisions and
sub-divisions have a municipal council headed by an elected Mayor (all of whom belong
to some political party).The councils of cities and major towns are referred to as urban
councils with the rest being municipal councils. Some urban councils were upgraded by
6 Region is new geo-political name for the former name Province in Cameroon.
40
a presidential decree in 1993 to the status of city councils headed by appointed
government delegates who play the role of council chairman.
Figure 5 Map of Cameroon showing regional headquarters and major towns and bordering countries (source: http://www.mapsofworld.com/cameroon/cameroon-political-map.html )
The country's climatic setting consists of three major climatic zones: (i) the Equatorial
zone in the southern half of the country characterized by abundant rainfall (about seven
41
months) and forest vegetation; (ii) The Sudanian zone in the northern central half of the
country characterized by a mixture of grassland and scanty forest vegetation; (iii) The
Sudano-Sahelian zone in the north of the country characterized by mainly grassland
vegetation. Rainfall as well as the duration of the rainy season generally decreases from
south to north across climatic zones. It is endowed with natural resources (rich flora and
fauna, mineral resources, petroleum) and a very rich traditional/cultural heritage for
which the country is referred to as „Africa in Miniature‟. The productive agricultural land
resources coupled with diverse climatic conditions make Cameroon one of the most
self-sufficient in agricultural food production in Africa. The economy of the country
experienced a significant boom between the 1970 up to the middle 1980s from revenue
generated from the agricultural and oil sectors. The rapid economic growth rate at this
time placed Cameroon among the twenty safest countries in the world for foreign
investment (Ndongko, 1986). The country was struck by an economic crisis from the
1985/86 fiscal year and since then things have not been any better for the country in
economic terms as it later experienced devaluation in the 1990s and a series of
International Monetary Fund and World Bank reforms, which have not been enacted up
to expectation.
Being a signatory to the Rio del Janeiro convention on Sustainable development,
Cameroon has been making some progress in the area of biodiversity conservation,
improving agricultural yields and provision of safer drinking water to some communities
through especially international organizational support and NGO initiatives. However,
some socio-economic issues are in a decline or not receiving adequate attention such
as in the area of road construction.
3.2.2 MSWM in Cameroon
MSWM constitutes one of the areas of greater challenge to the government of
Cameroon, local councils, organizations, businesses and the public at large. The
institutional/administrative framework for waste management in Cameroon comprises
different tiers (fig. 3.2): the national assembly that drafts laws (bills) and other
regulations which are subsequently ratified into law by the president of the country; the
responsible ministries that draft different policies, plans, programs and follow-up
guidelines to implementation of the law and regulations; the local municipal councils
42
(urban and rural) responsible for the direct management of waste within their respective
municipalities alongside contracted agents to councils and other institutions (like NGOs)
and the public at large. While one cannot assume a top to bottom approach may be void
of contention, it is quite clear that local councils play a greater and direct role in
managing especially MSW waste generated within their municipalities.
Figure 6 Hierarchy of administrative framework for MSWM in Cameroon.
(Source: author‟s construct)
From a historical perspective, aspects of environmental management in Cameroon
have been enshrined across a broader range of institutions with bare details on issues
like definitions, legal frameworks and responsibilities of stakeholders. Ministries and
other state establishments whose activities could lead to environmental degradation
drafted texts to enhance environmental management and protection in which cases
aspects of solid waste management were only implied therein. Hence not until the late
1980s, there were no defined legal frameworks or acceptable standards for
environmental management (MSWM inclusive). Two earlier legal documents with
provisions related to MSW include: Decree no 76/372 of 2nd September 1976 to
regulated establishments classified as dangerous, unhygienic and obnoxious and Law
No. 89/027 of 27 December 1989 on Toxic Wastes. Manga et al., (2008) present some
an overview of roles and responsibilities of ministries related to waste management as
National Assembly
National Environmental
Management Plan
Various ministries and other state
institutions
Follow-up and Implementation of
Laws
Municipal Councils
Monthly municipal clean-up campaign on fixed date involving entire public,
academic and other institutions, business etc
Contracted Agents (mainly
HYSACAM)
NGOs, CBO, Private companies
Industries/companies bear responsibility of their waste generated
President of the Republic
43
well as some key legislative aspects involved in Cameroon.
Cameroon, being a signatory to the Rio del Janeiro Summit on Sustainable
Development in 1992, embraced the need for a more detailed and broader perspective
on environmental management. Hence Law No. 96/12 of 5th August 1996 providing the
legal framework for environmental management in Cameroon was promulgated. Section
I article 4c defines wastes as “all residues from a production process, transformation or
utilization, all substances or materials produced, or more generally, all abandoned
properties and furniture destined to be abandoned or disposed”. Article 4j defines
elimination of waste as “a group of operations comprised of collection, transportation,
Storage and necessary treatment for the recuperation of useful materials and or energy,
the recycling of such materials, or all disposals or reject in appropriate manner in a
condition not to evoke nuisance and environmental degradation”. Article 4q defines
waste management as “the collection, transportation, recycling and elimination of waste,
which comprise a surveillance of the elimination site”. This law also lay down some
fundamental principles (as related to environmental protection and resource
depletion/degradation) including: the precautionary principle, the principle of active
prevention and correction, the polluter pays principle, the principle of responsibility, the
principle of participation and the subsidiary principle (see Luken et al., 2002, for a detail
analysis). Thus the provisions in this law on waste management include: a definition of
waste, how they have to be managed and incentives for management as well as
penalties for failure to manage properly.
A common problem observed in the area of MSWM is that while the quantity of solid
waste generated and consequent negative impacts keep going on the increase,
management seem not to be rallying appropriate strategies and approaches to
efficiently handle the problem. UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development
Organization) country assessment report for Cameroon for 2006 on industrial
production and resultant waste for some 9 sectors presents some important facts for
consideration: ii) total waste (in term of weight) from production processes in the 9
sectors considered is approximate thrice the production; ii) of the resultant waste, about
3% is considered dangerous. One thing than cannot be fully justified is how these
resultant wastes are effectively managed in a sustainable and environmentally friendly
way. It is also not very clearly established what proportion of generated waste can be
44
recycled or recovered as well as ongoing or probable options for recycling or
transformation of such wastes. MSW is generated as a result of the fact that products,
goods and services are consumed by the public. The principal generated sources are
domestic/community, commercial and administrative units. Community is placed here
under domestic because in most localities, households may have surface refuse dumps
in the back yard while still making use of the community disposal sites as well. Not
much is known about the actual composition and generation of MSW in Cameroon and
such information in most cases is rather qualitative. In any case, the MSW stream in for
Cameroon is not too different compared to other developing or less industrialized
countries. Organic waste would constitute a fairly large share of the waste.
Achankeng (2003) reports generation rates of 0.3 – 1.4kg per capita for two cities in
Cameroon namely Bamenda and Yaounde. Other studies report average per capital
generation for Yaounde to be in the range of 0.60 – 0.98 kg per capital (Parrot et al.,
2009; Tanawa and Ngnikam, 2002; Ngnikam, 2001; Monkam et al., 2000) and total daily
generation ranging from about 700 – 1200 tones (Achankeng, 2003; Tanawa and
Ngnikam, 2002; Ngoma, 2001) The above reported per capita daily generation would be
similar for most of the larger cities and towns with a significant difference being in total
generated amount due to population effect.
An analysis of the non-biodegradable component of MSW for Bamenda is presented in
figure 3.3. From the figure it is observed that plastic, bottle/glass and paper/carton
constitute significant fractions. In a study by Ngoma (2001), MSW compositions of 80%
organics, 7% paper and carton, 4.7% glass, 4.3% plastic and rubber, 2.2% textile and
leather and 1.7% iron and metal are reported. Parrot et al present a comparison of
MSW generated and collected (for disposal) in Yaounde for the period January 2005 to
July 2005 (fig. 3.4). From the diagram it is observed that seasonal factors affect
generation and collection in opposite ways. Thus in the rainy season with very poor
accessibility to residential areas, collection is poor against a higher generation rate due
to high agricultural production at such times.
45
Figure 7 Non-biodegradable components of MSW for Bamenda municipality. (Source: Achankeng, 2003)
Figure 8 Comparison of MSW generation and collection in Yaounde
between January 2002 and July 2005. (Source: Parrot et al., 2009).
In Cameroon, the number of municipal landfills is still very small, talkless of sanitary
ones. Yaounde, the capital city for example, has only one Sanitary landfill, at
Nkoulfoulou (about 56 hectares) created in 1998 that receives about 7.000 – 8.000 tons
46
of waste daily. Bamenda has on open dump northwest of the city on the Mezam River
Valley. Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, also has a large open dump along
the Douala-Yaounde motorway where there is surface dumping and subsequent volume
reduction through pressing with heavy duty machines.
MSWM in Cameroon at the level of municipalities and communities are basically the
responsibilities of the municipal councils. Councils are faced with two likely options
(separately or jointly) towards enacting a waste management activities: 1) create a
service within the council charged with collection and disposal of waste and/or 2)
contract a external agent, who may be an NGO or private organization (the main agent
in the country being HYSACAM) to be charged with the role of managing MSW. These
councils and contracted agents are expected to design waste management plans in
conformation with existing legal and other framework requirements, as least in theory.
3.3 MSWM Practices for case study localities
In this dissertation, an overview of MSWM practices in Cameroon is presented on a
case study basis using two case study localities namely Limbe and Buea. The first is an
urban municipality with a contracted agent, HSACAM to take charge with the collection,
transportation and disposal municipal solid waste. Limbe is also a major economic city
of the southwest province of Cameroon and host to the country's main oil refinery
(SONARA - Societe Nationale des Rafines, Cameroon) as well as many SMEs. The
second is the provincial capital of the southwest province and host to the countries lone
English-speaking state university as well as many administrative institutions. The
presence of the University has led to a rapidly growing population and consequent
booming local economic activities, which have an impacted on waste generation and
management. These two case studies represent a fair picture of the MSWM situation in
Cameroon.
3.3.1 Limbe Municipality
Limbe municipality is one of the two municipalities in the Southwest region of Cameroon
that had the status of an Urban Council. Due to Cameroon government reforms on
council set-up in the 1990s (decree No. 93/322 of 21/11/93), some urban councils
47
received the special status whereby government delegates were appointed for each of
such special status council to perform the role of council chairman. In January 2008,
and by decree, Limbe Urban Council was changed to Limbe City Council with the
creation of three sub-divisional councils: Limbe I (POH), Limbe II (Munkundange
Council) and Limbe III (Bimbia Council) each administered by a Mayor and 2 deputies.
Limbe has a population of about 120.000 inhabitants. It is a major coastal town of
Cameroon with rich touristic attractions. The major economic activities in the
municipality include: fishing (along the Atlantic coast), plantation and peasant
agriculture, and commercial activities. The topography of the town is defined by a bay
and headline structure along the coastline. Thus along the coast, the topography is
quite low-lying and this increases gently towards on-land and the increase becomes
sharp peripherally landwards. Such a topography accounts for the recurrent floods in
the town during the rainy season months (specifically around June – September).
Although the Limbe City Council now has three sub-divisional councils, MSWM still
remain in the charge of the contracted agent HYSACAM, and all containers and skips
still carry the inscriptions of either the LUC (Limbe Urban Council) or HYSACAM. Just
like other special status councils that have been subdivided (or expanded), the problem
of allocating previous infrastructures to the new councils as well as acquiring new ones
still looms.
3.3.1.1 Generation and Storage
The main sources for MSW generation in the Limbe municipality include:
residential/household, commercial, industrial and administrative. Industrialization is,
however, limited to the level of SMEs which operate within the city. Thus waste
originating from SMEs constitutes part of the MSW stream given resultant waste from
this sector is disposed of within municipal disposal units. Waste generated by
households with yard disposal facilities (such as surface dumps) are not generally
stored (in storage containers per se) prior to disposal. Most of the generated waste is
immediately disposed of at such sites. At any time the volume of such waste is
considered too much by residents, it is burnt in situ. In residential areas served with
collection containers, household wastes may be stored in items within households such
as: basket, old buckets, plastic and nylon bags (fig 3.5a, b, and c respectively) and
cartoon boxes
48
Figure 9 Different waste storage facilities within households in the Limbe municipality (a.
old basket; b. bucket; c. bags). (Source: author‟s fieldwork, 2007)
Field observations show that the choice of storage item varies over time based on either
durability or availability. Generally metal containers and wooden baskets and cartons
are the mostly used storage containers. Storage period various from 0 – 5 days before
depending on the rate at which the storage containers get full or the readiness of
households to empty them into secondary collection devices. For households with
children, the children are mainly responsible for implementing primary collection of
waste i.e. from storage to collection skips and containers or into collection trucks. For
commercial agents as well as SMEs, generated waste is disposed of into any public
collection or disposal units as need be although daily disposal is common. Such
generators also make use of yard disposal facilities if such are available at their
location. There is no prior sorting or separation of waste before either storage or
disposal thus MSW is always commingled. The act of retrieving materials or items from
the waste for reuse or scavenging for metals or bottles is common. Common materials
being scavenged for include, body lotion bottles, plastic bottles, rubber slippers,
aluminum and other metals like iron. Most of these recovered items are sold to retailers.
3.3.1.2 Collection and Transportation
MSW collection and transportation to final disposal site (from either households or
roadside collection containers) is the responsibility of the municipal council/HYSACAM
(contracted agent). Both the council and HYSACAM serve some residential areas with
skips and containers for collection of waste (fig 3.6). The skips (with inscription LUC for
a b c
49
Limbe Urban Council) placed by the council prior to its engagement with HYSACAM.
Presently HYSACAM is responsible for distribution of both skips and containers within
the municipality. Some skips bear inscriptions representing both the council and
HYSACAM. About 75% of the municipality is supplied with a collection facility. Stating
that collection facilities are supplied to residential quarters does not in any way imply
sufficiency in number. Rather, it implies that there is at least a bin within a major
residential quarter. Along major streets in residential area served with skips, such skips
are irregularly placed. The number of skips or containers per residential area varies and
depends on factors such as availability of skips and containers, accessibility of area,
population density and economic activity within the area. However, for most areas,
dropping of waste into skips by public is a matter of individual willingness i.e. choosing
between disposing at household facility or walking up to the skips or containers. Walking
distances to collection facilities range from a few meters to about 300m and in some
cases even more.
In terms of logistics, the following collection facilities are in use by HYSACAM: 30 skips
each of volume of 6 cubic meters; 30 smaller containers each of volume one cubic
meter; two 12-tonne specialized vehicle trucks for door-door waste collection; one 5-
tonne vehicle truck, one 3-tonne vehicle truck for transportation of bins; a pick-up for
control/supervisory activities as wells as administrative duties and travels; two
motorcycles. A labor force of about 104 workers is employed. Households may also
leave waste along transportation routes in small storage containers (as described
earlier) for pick up by transportation vehicle operators. For residential areas without
containers and skips, there are specified days that collection vehicles pass around and
residents drop in their waste into these vehicles (door-to-door collection). Collection of
waste from containers and skips along main roads and areas with economic activities is
done after every two days. Collection from peripheral residential areas is done on a
weekly basis in which case each area has an assigned day per week. However,
collection may be regular depending on the availability of collection vehicle (given with
only a few, broke down of any is severely felt).
The lager skips do not have lids hence remain open throughout. The smaller skips,
though with lids are rarely found covered. Collection skips and containers are most
50
Figure 10 Collection devices for MSW secondary collection in the Limbe municipality:
a) skip and b) container. (Source: author‟s fieldwork 2007)
often overfull hence common to find waste littered around such facilities thereby
a)
(b)
51
creating a problem of aesthetics as well as nuances. Common characteristics around
such open and overfull collection facilities include: bad odor, mosquitoes, cockroaches,
domestic animals and rats. Thus handling conditions of waste during rainy periods can
be quite nasty. Because available collection facilities may not cope with rapidly
increasing waste volumes, and given some members of the public are so naughty in
throwing waste on around bins, it is a normal exercise for collection workers to pick up
the litters around container before it is mounted on collection truck. It is not uncommon
to find collectors without appropriate clothing and protective devices (such shoes,
gloves and air masks) required for such activities. Based on some social perceptions, it
is equally not uncommon to find a collector working bare hands while he has a pair of
gloves in the hind pocket.
On a contractual basis, it is estimated that HYSACAM has to collect up to 120 tons of
waste daily for onward disposal. In practice only about 90 tones is collected. Thus
weekly collection could be estimated at 540 tones. Reasons for difficulty in meeting
target collection include: poor accessibility to residential quarters (due partly to poor
town planning) especially during the rainy season; lack of logistics to caretaker for the
generated waste volumes; financial constraints; lack of good maps to define preferable
and plausible collection routes.
3.3.1.3 Disposal
The disposal of MSW in Cameroon depends on the source of the waste (generator) and
the collector. Household wastes may be disposed of via the following means: i) by
individual households either on surface dumps or household disposal facilities (dug pit)
within the vicinity of the household; ii) disposal in passing-by streams within residential
quarters; iii) disposal on a common public surface disposal unit (common in plantation
communities); iv) by depositing household waste in public skips and containers for
onward collection and disposal by appropriate authorities. Commercial solid waste is
generally collected and disposed of by local councils and its contracted agents.
Industrial waste may either be disposed of within the industrial facility (as case of
households) or collected by council or contracted agents for onward disposal.
In the Limbe municipality, MSW disposal is the responsibility of HYSACAM. There exist
52
four disposal sites for this municipality. Three have been abandoned, which were
located in the following areas: around the Limbe botanical garden, dockyard (on a
wetland) and Karata residential quarters. The disposal site is which was located on a
wetland was situated south of the Limbe market and about 400m from the Atlantic
coast. This disposal site has now been abandoned after an operation period of over 15
years. The present disposal site is located along the Limbe - Idenau motorway. The
general disposal practice is that of dumping and compression with heavy-duty machines
and later burning to reduce volume. Waste from collection trucks are tipped off at
disposal sites almost daily. They are them spread over the surface by heavy-duty
machines which in turn compress them. A layer of soil is later spread above waste,
which forms the base for the next dumping. Fire is then set upon the sealed layer.
Burning is usually a slow process especially during the rainy season. Environmental and
engineering aspects are given little concerns in situating disposal facilities.
3.3.2 Buea Municipality
Buea is the administrative headquarter of the Southwest region of Cameroon. It has a
population of about 57.000 inhabitants. It is a very historic town. It has been the capital
of the former German Cameroon and former Southern Cameroon. Remnants of some
historic infrastructures of these political systems serve as touristic sites. The annual Mt
Cameroon race of Hope is also a major touristic even in the Buea. The town is located
in on the eastern flank of Mount Cameroon (an active volcano along the Cameroon
Volcanic Line) at elevations above 400 – 1000m above sea level and characterized by
very rock terrains. Plantation agricultural activities within the municipality and environs
include Tea (at Tole) and Banana at Molyko and Muea. Peasant agriculture is also
vibrant due to the very fertile volcanic soil. Crops grown for sales at local markets and
for household consumption include: cocoyam, plantain, cane sugar, various local
vegetables. Economic activity was highly boosted in Buea after the creation of the only
English-speaking state university in the municipality.
3.3.2.1 MSW Generation and Storage
Sources of waste generation for the Buea municipality are not any different as is the
case for Limbe. However, a basic difference may be in terms of quantities for different
53
waste types. The main sources for MSW generation in Buea are households,
commercial sources (markets and other businesses) and administrative (academic and
other institutions). Given just a few skips are served residential areas in Buea, the
practice of yard as well as other forms of wanton disposal is quite high in Buea. Storage
practices at the level of households are similar for Buea and Limbe. For student
residential areas, most of waste generated may be stored for up to three before
disposal (depending on amount and storage device). Waste is generally stored for a
longer period prior to disposal within family households than student residents. A major
advancement in construction of most student residential blocks in Buea is the provision
of a hand-dug pit for waste disposal. Most such pits are protected from rainfall and stray
domestic animals. When the waste gets to a desired level, a common practice requires
it being set to fire. Here the issue is about getting waste out of sight without any second
thought to other impacts the activities may have on health and environment.
3.3.2.2 Collection and Transportation
Within the Buea municipality, waste collection is being done at a very low level. The sole
waste collector is the local council (Buea Rural Council). A relatively small proportion of
residential areas is served with council collection facility. In Buea, unlike in Limbe, the
council skips/containers are located only in areas with high commercial activities. Thus
most of the wastes that go into the skips constitute commercial waste, which is likely to
be highly organic. Residents around the vicinity of such skips equally drop in their waste
into such skips. These skips are later picked up by a specialized collection vehicle. The
collection schedule for pick up of skips and containers is not very regular, at least, in
practice. From public interview, it seems residents are barely informed of frequency of
collection by the council.
3.3.2.3 Disposal
Primary disposal of solid waste at the level of source of generation within Buea
municipality are not any different to the cases in Limbe. A slight modification can be
observed in the advancement in construction of yard facilities for some student
residential housing. In such cases, the facility consist of a hand-dug circular pit ranging
in depth from about 2 – 4 meters at the top of which a concrete embankment may be
54
constructed to prevent stray animals as well as a safety measure for humans and above
which is a small roof to prevent precipitation. After some period of dumping and when
waste has reached a certain level, coupled with dryness as a result of prevention from
precipitation, the waste is set on fire to reduce volume. This process produces strong
scenting smoke which may last for more than a day depending on degree of dryness of
the waste. In terms of getting rid of waste volumes, avoiding the aesthetic impact of
waste (as in surface yard disposal facilities) and to check presence of pest and
pathogens around waste dumps, such a design proves effective. Disposal of municipal
solid waste in Buea by the municipal council was previously done in a valley in the Buea
Town residential area. This disposal site had been abandoned due to that fact that it
was full and at the moment grass and shrubs now cover the surface. The present
council disposal facility is located in the sand-pit residential area, also in a valley. Thus
in Buea, the basic consideration for landfilling is the location of a valley which is sizable
enough to accommodate was for a considerable period of time. Little or no geo-
technical specifications are met but for the fact that Buea is on a relatively volcanic
terrain whereby the effects of weathering is extremely low thereby limiting chances for
leachate movement into groundwater systems.
3.4 Implications for Material Recovery and Recycling
Material recovery and recycling present enormous benefits for MSWM. These two
options not only ensure material availability and sustainability within a material chain,
they are also a source of income for waste management institutions. For successful
implementation of material recovery and recycling within any MSWM scheme, the
scheme has to exhibit some degree of efficiency in operations and clarity in structures.
Looking at structural and operational aspects of MSWM for both Limbe and Buea
municipalities, it is clear these aspects impact in some negative way on any endeavor to
recover or recycle. At the level of households, recovery of some materials/or items from
the MSW stream is practiced. Common items recovered include: plastics in the form of
rubber slippers and plastic bags; bottles, mainly beer and body lotion bottles; metals,
mainly aluminum. Such practice, nonetheless are considered by residents as a strategy
towards sustainable MSWM. Rather it represents a means of saving cost as well as
obtaining that which one cannot afford especially in the time being. Recovery, at the
level of households is done both from within and without residential confinements.
55
Scavenging at public waste dump sites is not common in both Limbe and Buea as well
as for the entire country, Cameroon. In the case of plastics and aluminum, scavenging
is practiced most mainly when buyers of such items come to a given community to
purchase. This practice, which never began as a waste management approach has
been quite significant in redirecting materials from the waste stream to other useful
sources.
In formulating the municipal waste management plan by both the Limbe and Buea
councils, management in both cases seem not to have envisage any need for recovery
or recycling. Their present operations as per MSWM may impact on any emergent
move to recycle. Thus from waste management plan conceptualization, collection,
transportation and disposal, consideration is not given to public scale recovery and
recycling. Thus almost all MSW collected by the council or through its contracted agents
is bound for final disposal.
3.5 Discussion
MSW generation, handling and disposal practices are quite similar for a broad range of
communities in Cameroon. Thus the systems reported in this study are quite similar to
those reported for similar studies at different localities. Differences may only lie in the
level of participation of the different stakeholders involved and the participation or
response of the public to the operating management system in their locality.
Demographic factors, economic activities and the types of administrative and
commercial set-ups within a locality have an impact on the composition of the waste
stream. For example, taking the case of Buea, the creation of the University in 1993 and
with its present population standing around 7.000 students has not only led to increased
population but has invited vibrant economic activities. Thus the presence of many
administrative and academic units (or institutions) in Buea implies that this sector could
be a relatively more significant contributor to MSW (especially waste like paper and
WEEE) than in Limbe.
The composition of MSW waste from most developing countries has the common
characteristic of high proportion of organics (Yhdego, 1995) especially as such
countries have predominantly agricultural-based economies. Such waste with high
56
organic content is generated at the level of household and commercial market. Thus
with respect to handling generated MSW, focus on ways to handle this organic wastes
such as composting should be encouraged. Composting of organics on a larger
economic scale may depend on the demand for compost. Although trials for composting
at an industrial scale in Senegal and Ivory Coast were aborted to failure to yield
expected results due to very low demand for compost (as reported in Achankeng,
2003), Mbuligwe et al., (2002) assert it can still be a viable MSW recovery alternative.
The presence of rich and fertile soils as well as the predominant application of N- and P-
fertilizers impact negatively on the demand for compost. Thus composting may seem at
best to be encouraged at the level of households for use in gardening or other larger
scale farming activities especially in places with soil fertility problems. Hoornweg et al.,
(1999b) reports on the benefits of domestic solid waste composting in developing
countries and the reasons why composting does not receive more widespread
application. Logistics and financial constrains are the main limiting factors to any large
scale composting in Cameroon.
Due to changing economic trends and lifestyles, observed growing quantities of WEEE
constitute a significantly emerging solid waste stream that requires greater attention and
of course different approaches to management than the conventional disposal option.
Existing data on MSW characteristics in Cameroon show composition of some
generalized categories. Thus data showing proportions of components like WEEE are
lacking, which of course would be vital for informed decision-making in handling such
waste. Metals too represent components of the MSW stream that can also be easily
isolated from bulk waste prior to disposal. Over several decades, there has been small
scale recycling of metals for production of household utensils and farming equipments.
Thus while collection of metals has been going through scavenging, mainly by children
at disposal sites, a more coordinated form of collection could be initiated. With the
increased bilateral south-south cooperation with China, there has been an increased
collection of various sorts of metals from the waste stream for export. Unlike in bigger
cities like Yaounde and Douala, options such as creation of transfer stations are not
urgent requirements for waste collection/transportation for both Limbe and Buea.
Reason being given the available logistics and the distance to disposal facilities,
creation of transfer stations may only result in waste staying longer than normal prior to
disposal. Thus the creation of transfer stations has to be in line with the availability or
57
acquisition of certain logistical facilities. The disposal of waste in an environmentally
friendly manner still remains a problem for most municipalities in Cameroon. In
residential areas not served with collection containers or skips, disposal practice
depends on what option a household considers as best especially within its vicinity. The
absence of community-based waste management also makes it difficult to mobilize
residents to act in a desired way towards MSWM.
Although inadequate funding is available for MSWM by councils and contracted agents,
a major issue that still looms is the fact that councils do not seek to explore and exploit
any available options that can off-set present expenditures to collect and dispose of
MSW. Thus in addition to a model proposed by Parrot et al, (2009), this study
recommends the introduction of recycling schemes as presented on figure 3.7. The
introduction of recycling can be seen as an innovation within existing schemes (collect
and dispose approach), which in the long will have significant positive impacts on
MSWM.
This study reveals that MSWM in Cameroon has generally been designed on the basis
of ensuring MSW is collected from residential areas and entirely disposed. In such an
entirely collect-and- dispose set-up, the overriding paradigm is that of “keep the town
clean”. Hence a long-held practice in most municipalities is the assigning of a special
day within the month whereby workers of all sorts (safe hospitals and a few) are
temporarily halted on such day and the entire community takes part in some clean up
exercises. On such days it is normal to find numerous fire points whereby collected or
gathered solid wastes are burnt. The Hygiene and Sanitation department of municipal
councils was the main diver of this approach. While it is not uncommon to have cases
where the hygiene and sanitation department coordinates MSWM, it is worth mentioning
that in some cases where this was the case, focus has shifted over time from just to
collect and dump to more diverse forms of management including Integrated Municipal
Solid Waste Management (IMSWM). Thus focus shifted not only from re-energizing
waste for reuse options (as recycling, reprocessing) but also the broadening in the
definition and inclusion of different stakeholders.
When one looks at the present situation of MSWM in Cameroon, two basic questions
arise: 1. how effective have the present schemes been in meeting their desired goals
58
and 2. given the fact that there is an obvious need for sustainable MSWM, what
challenges need to be overcome to transform existing schemes into sustainable ones?
The councils have been doing a great job in clearing public skips and containers. Thus
collection for areas served with collection facilities has been encouraging to some
extent. However, factors such as inadequate infrastructure and logistics, and a poor
knowledge of generation rates coupled with the councils / contracted agents' (in)ability
to respect schedules on a regular basis renders most schemes inefficient. Thus
innovations and transformations are needed for existing schemes to become efficient in
meeting desired or set goals. The main challenges that need to be overcome to address
the second question lie in the area of policy formulation and implementation, and
increased stakeholder involvement. Through these, other options like introduction of
recycling schemes, take-back approaches for waste like WEEE etc can be achieved.
3.5.1 Constraints and Challenges
3.5.1.1 Infrastructure and logistics
The infrastructure and logistics available for MSWM in Limbe can barely enable the
scheme meet up with desired targets. It is desired that an estimated daily collection rate
of about 120 tones be achieved in Limbe but only about 90 tones is actually collected7.
Should all residential quarters be served with collection containers and skips, then a
higher collection target is obvious. Specialized skips are absent hence there is basically
commingled collection. In Buea, there is the dire need of more collection facilities as
only a few are in service for the entire municipality. Thus a very large proportion of
waste still remains unattended with likely proliferation of accompanied negative
environmental and health impacts. The lack of comprehensive maps of the Limbe
municipality presents a problem for planning of collection and for the definition of
efficient collection routes for collection vehicles
3.5.1.2 Urban planning and geomorphologic aspects
Urban planning within some economically active parts of Limbe is quite good and hence
accessibility. Poor access to several residential quarters by collection vehicles
7 Personal interview with management staff.
59
constrains on the distribution of containers and skips as well as on rate of collection (in
the case of “door-door collection”). Poor access may be due to: i) poor urban planning in
which case housing construction is not carried out according to established city plan; ii)
bad road conditions especially during rainy season or as may be the result of poor
maintenance/failure to repair. Limbe being a coastal city has a geomorphologic setting
defined by a bays and headlands. Thus it has a low lying land surface that grade into
hilly peripheral setting landwards. Most of the low-lying areas are characterized by
episodes of some degree of floods during intense rainy season as well as the presence
Figure 11 Proposed improvements for existing MSWM systems in Cameroon. (Source: adapted
from Parrot et al., 2009; and author's analysis).
of swamps and wetlands. Intermittently, torrential rains results in overflows of small
streams within city and also the triggering of several voluminous torrents from highland
areas towards the coast. Due to the fact that some residents dispose waste within such
MSW generation
Waste Collection HYSACAM/Councils NGOs, CBOs, private
companies
Waste collection HYSACAM/ Councils NGOs, CBOs, private
companies
MSW generation
MSW generation
Transfer Station
Source separation Recovery / Reuse
Pre-collection Pre-collection
Transfer Station
MSW Disposal MSW Disposal MSW Disposal
RECYCLING and
RECOVERY
Waste Collection HYSACAM/Councils NGOs, CBOs, private
companies
Source separation Recovery / Reuse
Secondary recovery
Existing
systems
Suggested
(Asong, 2009)
Suggested
(Parrot et al., 2009)
60
flows, the consequences after episodes of floods are quite negative. In wetlands and
swampy areas, where residents dispose of waste in such areas, the chances for
leaching of substances from waste are quite high. Such is the case too with one of the
disposal facilities was operated upon by the council. These problems may greatly
constrain on management especially when assumes management has to be done in
compliance with any set standards.
Buea on the other hand, has a different geomorphologic setting from Limbe. It is located
on the eastern flank of Mt Cameroon. Both localities do experience the occurrence of
severe intermittent torrents during the rainy season. In Buea, these torrents leave waste
along roadside drainage, which negatively impact of the aesthetics of the city. And with
lack of infrastructure to handle waste within this municipality, such waste may stay
within drainage for very long periods of time. With the pressure on housing due to
increasing university population and economic activity within Buea, the housing sector
has become a lucrative investment area in Buea. As a consequence several
constructions do not respect to established city plan. Thus should the municipal council
wish to embark on expanded and concise MSWM, poor housing construction will have
negative impacts.
3.5.1.3 Inadequate funding
Inadequate funding becomes a major constraint to waste management especially when
mechanisms or options to off-set operational costs are lacking. These include subsidies,
recycling and reprocessing for energy. With its limited budget, the council gives priority
to other sectors (such as, health and urban development) than on waste management.
Thus should management wish to embark on other options for MSWM, success may be
limited by budgetary constraint. A monthly cost of about 10 million francs CFA (about
15.000 Euro)8 is incurred by HYSACAM (in Limbe) for waste operations mainly for the
collection and transportation of waste and to cover salaries for its workers. However,
this cost is serviced by the council through its budget unlike in the case of Yaounde; a
waste removal tax was instituted in the late 1970s (although this tax represents a very
small fraction of the budget for MSWM). In addition to government subsidies through
FEICOM (Government Council Support Fund), a description of the different sources of
8 As per exchange rate at time of study (December 2008)
61
council finance is presented in Nkemnkeng (2007). Interesting to note is the fact that
there exist no structures or options for offsetting cost of collection and disposal. Thus
money is regularly spent to collect and dispose of waste with no gains to plough back
into the system as would have been if expanded programs like formal recycling were
operational.
3.5.1.4 Political and other Institutional aspects
While there exist some regulations, laws, decrees relating to MSWM in Cameroon,
implementation of stated provisions especially at the level of municipal councils is still a
problem. It remains incumbent on local councils to formulate their strategies to manage
their generated waste. Hence aspects such as compliance to regulations or laws are
usually lacking. Given the hygiene department of councils has a charge to design waste
management implies councils lack specialized waste management structures as well as
personnel. Thus attempts to manage waste stay focused only on keeping the
community clean.
The common problem of administrative frictions or conflicts in functions of different
ministerial and other bodies in Cameroon is quite glaring in the area of MSWM. Aspects
of MSWM are only implied and partly included in some laws and regulations. However,
a concise legislation on waste management is lacking. While the law on environmental
management requires waste generators (mainly industries) to take responsibility for the
waste they generate, a standard framework for such management, which sets specific
criteria and standards, is lacking. Another institutional aspect with significant effect on
MSWM in Cameroon that cannot be overlooked is corruption. Corruption, which has
gone down deep in the Cameroonian society may make even the small available funds
being mismanaged or may lead to issues like recruitment of inefficient or unqualified
staff. Corruption may also lead to neglect in taking required actions or may paralyze
motivations towards required actions.
3.5.1.5 Held perceptions
Socially held perceptions (especially over long time periods) can be quite an obstacle to
making progress or change during any time period when such held perceptions are
62
considered valid by those who hold them. There is a commonly held perception in
Cameroon that “dirt does not kill a black man”. Such and similarly held perceptions
affect the level to which people may give attention to waste in their vicinity. Imbibed
within such perception is the obvious myopic tendency to appreciate issues like effects
of leachate from waste on groundwater, heavy metal impact in both soil and
groundwater etc. Again such held perception may have an influence in the drive for
MSWM on a “keep-the-town clean” basis. Public campaign can, however, greatly
change public perceptions and attitudes towards waste management in a positive way
as it is the case reported in Bortoleto and Hanaki (2007).
3.5.1.6 Lack of Research and Development initiatives
Research and Development (R & D) provide a substantial basis for progress in many
areas of live in today's world given through such a channel creates a platform for
informed decision-making. R and D would require progressive evaluation and
assessment of both past and on-going efforts in MSWM in both the entire country as
well as in given case studies. Management schemes are suppose to Research in
scientific, technological and socioeconomic aspects of MSWM in Cameroon is still
wanting and hence an obvious consequent difficulty in developing the sector. The
several problems and constraints on MSWM in Cameroon present enormous
challenges to management. The main challenge for management is to transform
existing schemes into ones that meet sustainability criteria. Thus there is the dire need
to either upgrade existing systems to meet desired standards or to strike new frontiers
of MSWM thereby transforming schemes to new levels. Strategies to attain such goals
are discussed in subsequent sections of this chapter.
3.7 Proposals for Sustainable MSWM in Cameroon
MSWM in Cameroon constitutes one of issues in the environmental protection and
sustainable development debate that is still wanting of deserved attention. While some
municipalities have been embarking on it, there is the need for concerted efforts at all
levels – government, councils, NGOs, CBOs, international organizations, businesses,
and the general public. As earlier stated, two basic questions may arise in a bid to
63
Figure 12 Comparison of existing MSWM systems to proposed system. (Source: author‟s analysis)
Attributes of existing MSWM systems
- Low level of public awareness.
- Lack of R&D initiatives. - Lack of rigorous system Evaluation. - Lack of adaptive innovations.
Collection
- Households and other generators
expected to drop waste in secondary collection facilities. - Insufficient skips. -Fewer areas served with skips.
Disposal
- Mostly surface or shallow depth dis- posal facility. - Little geotechnical investigations and considerations for siting
Attributes of proposed MSWM system
- Liaise with research / higher Academic institutions to enhance R&D - Possess avenues for testing of innovations e.g. pilot studies for introduction of household collection devices. - Options for system evaluation whereby some sustainability standards are met.
Generation and Storage
- No strategies for reduction. - Storage device as appropriate. (old buckets, bags, cartons). - Storage depends on availability to secondary collection facility.
Disposal
- Define and implement criteria for sanitary landfilling whereby environmental, hygienic, and engineering specifications are met.
Collection
- Primary collection eased and effective through availability of household collec-tion devices. - Increase in number of public collection facilities - Expand services and - coordinate resi-dential areas to actively participate. - Acquire more specialized vehicles. - Introduce recycling schemes.
Generation and Storage
-Introduce household storage devices (at least for accessible areas). -Introduce specialized containers as well. - Encourage household separation and other recycling initiatives.
Existing MSWM Systems Proposed MSWM System
(Asong, 2009)
64
propose strategies for sustainable MSWM in Cameroon. Appropriate answers to these
questions would form a sound basis for improvements in MSWM in the country.
Addressing the first question implies evaluating the various stages in the MSWM
systems for example the case studies vis-à-vis the municipalities' set goals for waste
management. A snapshot of the existing MSWM system and a proposed system to
upgrade the existing systems (like Limbe and Buea) are presented in figure 3.8.
3.8 Conclusion and recommendations
3.8.1 Conclusion
In this chapter, an analysis of MSWM practices as well as evaluation of some existing
MSWM schemes in Cameroon was carried out. The results show that public
involvement in MSWM has been largely based on household preferred options. Existing
management schemes are jaundiced of sustainable practices. Management has been
built over a long time on the basis of “keep communities clean” thus focus has always
been placed on collection and disposal. The constraints and challenges that confronts
management and which limits management from becoming sustainable includes:
infrastructure and logistics; poor urban planning and geomorphological factors; poor
landfilling practices, inadequate funding; political and other institutional aspects; long
held perceptions about waste; and lack of R&D initiative.
3.8.2 Recommendations
The following recommendations need to be enacted for MSWM schemes in Cameroon
to become more efficient in delivering desired services as well as meeting sustainable
goals:
Continuous efforts in research and development. Such efforts would seek to
better analyze the existing problems faced by management, assess effectiveness
of management approaches, create avenues for innovations within management
systems, pave way for collaborative inclusion of stakeholders and creates
opportunities for informed decision-making due to reliance on derived and
reliable data. This recommendation can be achieved through collaborative
arrangements with academic and research institutions.
Strengthening approaches to policy and other regulatory framework formulation.
65
While commitment to implementation of existing policies and regulations has to
be increased on the part of government and other institutions related to MSWM,
there is need for more comprehensive frameworks. Any comprehensive
framework will exclude issues like friction administrative roles for different actors
as well avoid duplication of roles.
MSWM authorities (mainly councils, private agents and NGOs / CBOs) are
limited in their operations due to financial constraints. The nature if financial of
councils does not allow them to impose taxes or fees for MSWM activities (for
example a collection fee). Thus the fiscal system in relation to councils needs to
be readjusted to enable councils garner more financial resources.
Partnerships between different stakeholders especially public-private
partnerships are highly desirable in delivering sustainable MSWM. Such
partnerships need to be fostered in Cameroon. More so, the creation of CBO
may be quite useful in rallying residential support and participation in any waste
management scheme. But at the heart of all these is awareness and information.
The use of the media to increase awareness of the public and hence their
involvement in MSWM is of huge importance.
66
Chapter Four
The Role of SMEs in the recycling and re-use/recovery of
components of WEEE at-end-of life in Cameroon
Chapter Abstract
The rapidly changing consumption pattern of EEE (high consumption) and their associated short product
life span in the last few years has resulted in waste arisings from this product chain being the fastest
growing waste stream worldwide. While developed countries are putting in place appropriate measures to
handle this waste stream, the converse holds for developing countries whereby outdated as well as
obsolete forms of EEE still enjoy greater affluence. In this chapter, an overview of the handling of EEE at
end-of-life (EoL) in Cameroon is made with special focus on households and repair units. At household
level, WEEE is disposed of alongside other waste arisings in the available disposal facilities for given
household. Repair units represent a very vital connection between dysfunctional EEE and EoL forms as
all users of EEE tend to bring these devices to these units for repairs. An inventory of the various EEE at
repair units for two localities, Kumba and Buea, in Cameroon shows that above 40% percent of such
equipments are totally out of use. In Kumba, Classes 1 and 4 EEE (according to EU WEEE directive
classification) dominate while class 3 is almost absent. In Buea, Class 3 and 4 are dominant. These
results show that socio-cultural, economic and even climatic factors influence the choice of EEE that
people in this area acquire. The intense level of repair activities and recovery of useful parts by repair
units show that there exist adaptable options to handle WEEE in especially economically and
environmentally beneficial ways. The problems of lack of policy and regulatory framework, low level of
awareness in recycling ventures and lack of stakeholder engagements impose greater challenges for
management of WEEE in Cameroon. The low developments in waste disposal practices in the country
also imply the attenuation of toxic effect of WEEE due to unsafe disposal still remains a big problem.
Keywords: Recycling, recovery, WEEE, SMEs, and End-of-life
4.1 Introduction
There is the need for a complete rethinking of “waste”- to analyze if waste is indeed
waste. Given waste may be considered matter of zero energy level; it therefore implies
re-energizing waste thus makes it become a resource. Waste has in the long past been
a problem to man and the environment, and in the past few decades it has received
67
even greater attention. Of greater importance at the present time in both developed and
developing countries is e-Waste. This is due to the fast growing nature of this waste
stream. Finlay (2005) discusses the drivers of e-Waste in South Africa, which is similar
to many developing countries. Despite significant efforts to reduce waste especially at
the level of industrial production, recycling and material recovery systems play the vital
role in ensuring products at their end-of-life could still be re-processed or otherwise
diverted into other resource opportunities. Given the assumption that there is an
increasing global demand for Electrical and Electronic Equipments (EEE) in this age of
globalization, it becomes quite attracting that recycling and material recovery represent
two great opportunities for management of waste emanating from the EEE material
stream. This is due to the fact that a significant proportion of this waste stream is being
disposed. Households and commercial groups discard an estimated 1 million tons of
WEEE every year in the UK (Waste Online, last updated Aug 2005). More so, it is
estimated that WEEE generation will hit 12 million tons by 2010 (Darby and Obara,
2003). In 1998, a total of 0.134 million tones of consumer electronics were disposed in
the Netherlands (CREM, 1999). The WEEE waste stream in the EU produced 8.3 – 9.1
million tons of waste and is forecast at 12.3 million tons by 2020 (Commission of the
European Community, Brussels SEC (2008), 2934). In 2003, China generated about
1.6 million obsolete EEE with TVs constituting over half this total amount (Liu et al.,
2006).Waste computers generated in South Korea was expected to reach 2.2 million
tons by 2005 (Oh et al., 2003); Taiwan generates about 300.000 scrap PCs a year (Lee
et al., 2000).
EEE span a range of devices from the level of personal, household, industrial,
commercial, information and communications technology (ICT) appliances for which the
resultant wastes comprise obsolete or breakdown forms of the these appliances. Given
that a large percentage of EEE are being wasted at end-of-life (EoL) there is need for
both the development of appropriate strategies to regaining useful materials from this
waste stream and to improve on the recovery of certain types of WEEE. Some of the
challenges faced by WEEE management are not only consequences upon growing
quantities of waste but also the complexity of WEEE. It is one of the most complex
waste streams because of the wide variety of products from mechanical devices to
highly integrated systems and accelerating technological innovations (EEA, 2003). The
lifespan of EEE in recent times is becoming shorter and coupled with increasing use,
68
consequent broken down devices or obsolescence, handling waste from such a sector
becomes even difficult. A common example of EEE that has been experiencing shorter
life-span is computers. For normal computer users, the device could serve a longer time
span both as new brand product or second-handed product. But for power users, there
is need for keeping abreast with state-of-the-art cutting edge technology (Williams
2003). Due to increasing requirements for application of regulatory frameworks for
handling EEE coupled with the increasing export of second- handed equipments to
developing countries, there is need to address the handling of these equipments too in
the developing countries in environmentally safe and economically sound ways.
Another problem resulting from waste generation in this sector (just like in many waste
sectors) is that of resource depletion (Plepys, 2002) as increasing amounts of raw
materials are needed to cope with increasing demand and production. In the process of
discarding obsolete equipments, some components that can be recovered from the
waste and reused/recycled are generally dumped into landfills (especially when there is
a poor waste management plan). Technological and economic considerations within a
life-cycle perspective may also influence the move to recycle WEEE (Hischier et al.,
2005). Thus handling WEEE presents greater challenges to sustainable development. A
major approach to safe the source material depletion problem is the application of the
paradigm of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) to WEEE, which has additional
resultant benefits in the areas of energy saving and business enhancement.
EEE are known to comprise components containing substances that are hazardous to
human health and the environment thus appropriate measures have to be taken as to
the safe handling at their end-of-life. Some components arising from WEEE include:
printed circuit boards, cathode ray tubes and mercury switches and these may contain
substances such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead and others, which are known to
have adverse effects on humans health particular and the environment in general (Li et
al., 2006; Saphores et al., 2006 ). Individual materials which can be recovered from
WEEE for recycling and reuse include: ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, glass, and
plastics in varying proportions depending on the type of equipment. Thus when one
considers the likely contribution of this waste sector to the entire waste stream, it
becomes obvious that significant materials are lost due to bulk disposal. In Ireland for
example, 72% of total municipal wastes generated ends up in landfills and a greater
69
bulk of WEEE fall, end up in this lot.
The handling of WEEE requires that some legal, institutional and technological
considerations be met. A good example of such a legal requirement for handling WEEE
is the EU WEEE directive 2002/96/EC, which was enforced in 2003 and builds on the
concept of producer responsibility and improved product design. Due to the fact that a
greater amount of WEEE were being loss to landfills, the EU WEEE directive was
developed to tackle the problem of increasing waste volumes and the potential negative
impacts of such waste as well as encouraging re-use, recycling and reduction in amount
of WEEE. Include stipulations in directives as per role of producers and consumers.
Developing countries in Africa are not only faced by the pressure from rapidly increasing
imports of EEE (especially second-handed ones) but a faced with the greater challenge
of handling them at EoL. To escape some financial burdens imposed on the handling of
EEE at EoL, several companies and organization (some as good Samaritans) have
been actively involved in shipping enormous amounts of EEE to Africa as well as other
developing countries. Others, do ship consignments of EEE to developing countries as
a strategy to enhance recovery and reuse thereby getting rid of disposal or handling at
EoL problems while helping to provide for the needy. A Basel Action Network (BAN) and
STVC study (BAN, 2005) show that about 500 container loads of PCs enter Nigeria
monthly through the Lagos port with each container containing about 800 monitors or
CPUs. Lombard (2004) reports that 1.2 – 1.5 million computers enter South Africa in
one year. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU, 2004) projects the number
of mobile phone subscribers in Africa to stand around 100 – 200 million by 2010.
The need for and acquisition of electronic devices such as mobile phones, PCs and
household appliances has been on an increase in Cameroon and other African
countries the last decade. The acquisition of outdated PCs as well as second-hand
versions of electrical and electronic products has been quite common too. The handling
of such products at the end-of-life still remains a big problem (health and environmental
wise) for the country as most end up in landfills as well as open-pit disposal. There is
the need, therefore, to assess the possibilities of recovering valuable materials from
such waste as well as recycling. Given consumers may most of the time persist in the
habit of discarding especially smaller WEEE at end-of-life, it is very important that
70
appropriate and plausible strategies be designed to engage public to participate in
recycling of WEEE. Appropriate strategies to enhance effective collection on the part of
both public and other institutions involved need to be formulated based on an informed
knowledge base. It is important to note that although legal instruments and policies are
lacking in the area of recycling of WEEE in Cameroon, there exist on-going practices
through which recycling schemes for this waste stream can be built. Although the
concept of recycling/material recovery has been quite advanced in some developed
countries, this has not been the case with most developing ones. The increasing influx
of EEE, however, sparks concern on the fate of any resultant wastes. In this chapter, an
evaluation of recycling and recovery of WEEE is presented. An analysis is carried out
on the role of SME in recycling and recovering valuable materials from WEEE in
Cameroon as a case study. Thus the practices in the handling of both EEE and WEEE
are reviewed.
4.2 Objectives of study
The specific objectives were:
To make a review and analysis of the situation on the use of EEE and the
handling of them at their end-of-life in Cameroon especially at the level of SMEs.
Identify strengths and barriers to implementing appropriate material recovery,
reuse and recycling schemes especially through SMEs for the management of
WEEE in Cameroon.
To investigate to what extend the lack of or existence of insufficient policies may
affect the sustainable management of WEEE especially in line with the
application of the extended producer responsibility concept.
4.2 Method and scope of study
Two case study localities were chosen for this study: Buea and Kumba. Buea is the
capital city (administrative headquarter) of the Southwest 9Region of Cameroon, with a
population of about 57.000 inhabitants. It has a population of about and its host the
country's lone Anglo-Saxon university, the University of Buea. The creation of the
9 Region is new geopolitical name for the administrative set up previously referred to in Cameroon as Province
71
University in 1993 has led to a very rapid development of the town. Such development
has been facing a consequent problem of urban planning as people are competing for
any available land for construction purpose. The presence of the university community
has also come a long way to influence the consumption patterns in the city with a strong
demand for EEE. Kumba with a population of about 120.000 inhabitants is one of the
most economically vibrant towns in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. It is the capital
city of Meme Division. Its geographic location makes it a connecting town to three other
divisions (Fako, Ndian and Kupe-Muanenguba) of the region as well as serving as a
major departure town to the other two divisions of the province (i.e. Lebialem and
Manyu). This position thus enables economic activities to flourish within the city. Its
vibrant economic status and strategic location also makes the city a melting point for
traders from Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, who do businesses within a larger
area of the Southwest Region.
In a field survey carried out in these two towns, an inventory of the various types of EEE
found in EEE repair stores was developed through on-the-spot identification and
counting of the different EEE. Because not all EEE found in such units can be
considered out of use, an estimate of those considered out of use were gotten through
direct questioning from units' personnel. Two phases of this survey were carried out: the
first survey in January 2006 and the second in January 2009. Questionnaires were
administered to: owners of EEE repair units (i.e. SMEs), the general public and some
businesses, institutions and organization. For the general public, sample population was
randomly selected and comprised three different age groups: 14-20, 21-35 and 35+
years. For the last group, personnel with knowledge about the business, institution or
organization was chosen for interview. Total number of questionnaires administered per
locality was: 63 to repair unit owners, 100 questionnaires to members of the public, and
20 to businesses, institutions and organizations. The responses and inventories were
evaluated and statistically analyzed to attain the objectives of the study. Also direct
deductions and inferences were obtained from personal communication and field
observations.
72
4.3 Recovery and Recycling of WEEE
4.3.1 Overview
The worldwide revolution in electronics and information technology in the last decade
has been quite rapid placing the sector amongst the largest and fastest growing
manufacturing industries in the world today. As a result of this remarkable growth,
combined with the phenomenon of rapid product obsolescence, discarded electronic
equipment is now recognized as the fastest growing waste stream in both the
developed and developing societies. The recycling rate is low, and electronics contain
various chemical and heavy metals that could pose environmental risk if not handled
appropriately at end-of –life. Despite the growing waste stream of electronic products,
organized material recovery/recycling rate is low and in some developing societies it is
completely absent and the focus is on repairs. Government, customers and the public
are increasingly interested in the proper disposal or reuse of used electronics. Product
donation, reuse and recycling divert waste from landfills and can result in recovered
materials being reprocessed into other products or reuse, for example in the
refurbishing of other products. Hence, product design is crucial, since design choices
affect the ability to reuse or recycle used products efficiently and economically at end-of-
life.
Due to the inadequate financial resources available to most people in developing
countries to afford new EEE as well as other problems imposed by international trade
barriers, much of the growth in information technology sector in the developing
countries has been fuelled by the importation of hand-me-down used equipment from
the developed countries. Such products may be received as donations from some good
Samaritans, imports by business dealers specializing in such second-handed products
or gifts from migrants living in the developed countries to their relations and friends back
home. A significant amount of them also get to developing countries as items from
migrants living abroad to their relations purposefully for sale. The rate of
recovery/recycling of WEEE vary across countries and success, however, lies in the
design of recycling schemes. Ravi et al., (2005) reports that an estimated 20 million
computers enter the US market every year and with 12 million being disposed of too
every year, out of which only about 10% is re-manufactured or recycled. Unlike in the
developed countries where the regulations governing the reception, collection, recycling
73
and other proper handling/treatment of scrapped EEE have been put in place, there
exists no specific waste management collection or recycling programs in most
developing countries for this waste stream. A very common practice in the handling of
EEE and EoL forms is repairs and reuse. Where repairs and reuse have completely
become unattainable most of the equipments are put in parts and stored for a „hopeful‟
reuse or thrown away during a municipal clean-up campaign. The waste later on have
nowhere to go other than where all waste go; to the dump site at the backyards and
street corners, where they are routinely burnt to reduce the volume.
4.3.2 Components of WEEE
The European Union's WEEE Directives (2002/96/EC) defines ten categories of
electrical and electronic equipments categorized as follows:
1. Large household appliances (e.g. refrigerators, freezers, washing machines)
2. Small household appliance (e.g. toasters, iron, hairdryers, coffee machines)
3. Information technology (IT) and telecommunications equipment (e.g. personal
computers, telephones, mobile phones, laptops, printers, scanners)
4. Consumers equipment (e.g., televisions, stereo equipment, electric brushes)
5. Lighting equipment (e.g. fluorescent lamps)
6. Electrical and electronic tools with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial
tools (e.g. hand-held drills, saws, screwdrivers)
7. Toys, leisure and sport equipment (e.g. play stations, game boys,)
8. Medical devices with the exception of all implanted and infected products (e.g.
radiotherapy equipment)
9. Monitoring and control equipments (e.g. smoke detectors)
10. Automatic dispersers (e.g. for hot drinks or monies).
These wide array of EEE also incorporate in them different components, among which
include, printed circuit boards, cathode rays tubes, wires and cables, mercury switches,
batteries, light generators, capacitors and resistors, sensors and connectors, plastics
containing brominated flame retardants. Some electronic equipment and/or their
components contain substances that are considered dangerous to the environment and
human health if they are disposed of carelessly. Although these dangerous substances
are usually only contained in small amount, they have great potentials of causing
74
serious environmental damage. Examples are Mercury, Cadmium, Lead, Hexavalent
Chromium, Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, Arsenic, Chlorofluorocarbons, etc.
Recyclable materials such as Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass and plastics, are
also important components of the WEEE. Electronic goods are also composed of
hundreds of different materials, often-high value too. Gold, Platinum, Silver, Copper, etc.
are valuable materials, which recyclers recover from electronic waste.
4.3.3 Institutional efforts towards Recovery and Recycling of WEEE
The WEEE waste stream is now being considered the fastest growing waste stream. It
does dot only poses a problem of managing the absolutely huge emanating volumes but
also a problem of handling the rapidly changing composition. Several attempts are
being made at regional, national and international levels to curb the management
problems WEEE present. At the level of the EU, efforts to handle the problem led to the
formulation of the EU WEEE Directive (Directive 2002/96 /EC on Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment). This directive, which (together with the Directive on the
Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic
Equipments - RoHS Directive 2002/95 EC) became law in 2003, seeks to reduce the
amount of WEEE going to landfills by encouraging re-use and recycling. It also sets
target for collection, recycling and recovery of WEEE. By this directive, producers are
responsible for financing the collection, treatment and recovery of WEEE. Producers are
also expected to put in place appropriate infrastructure for collection, whereby
household consumers may have the possibility of returning WEEE at least free of
charge. It is understood that member countries were expected to transpose the directive
into national laws and regulations by 13 August 2004. The implementation of the
directive at national levels has met with problems of effectiveness and efficiency
(Commission of the European Community, Brussels SEC (2008), 2934). The problem of
effectiveness has to do with the reporting on organized and separate collection,
environmental and economic issues while that of efficiency has to do with uncertainty in
the scope of the directive and the requirement for producers to register and report in all
countries they sell in. There is a predicted forecast of the WEEE waste stream in the
EU27 to reach 12.3 million tons by 2020 with an increase in the range of 2.5 – 2.7 %
annually. A breakdown of the situation as at 2005 is presented in figure 4.1. It can be
observed from the figure those large household appliances, cooling and freezing
75
devices, CRT TVs, CRT Monitors and IT and telecommunications excluding CRTs
constitute as very significant proportion of WEEE within the EU27. The amount of
WEEE collected and treated for different treatment categories as a percentage of
Arising is presented in Table 4.1. It is also observed that collection for lighter and
smaller WEEE is less that for bulkier and larger ones. A likely reason may be due to the
fact that smaller ones are easy to get mixed with other household waste and collected in
household collection facilities.
Figure 13 Breakdown of WEEE arising within the EU in 2005. (Source: United Nations
University 2008 review of Directive 2002/96 /EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment)
4.4 Results
4.4.1 Handling EEE at end-of-life Cameroon
4.4.1.1 Public
In Cameroon EEE are acquired as either new or second-handed/used products. New
products may be acquired from wholesalers, retailers and petty trader in local markets
and along streets (street vendors). Second-handed may as well as may not have been
serviced before sales thus leaving them with higher chances of getting out of use within
76
Table 4 Current amount of WEEE collected and treated as percentage of arisings
Number Treatment Category Current % collected
of WEEE arisings
1A Large household equipment 16.3%
1B Cooling and freezing 27.3%
1C Large household appliances (smaller items) 40.0%
2, 5A 8 Small household appliances, lighting equipment,
luminaries, and “domestic” medical devices
26.6%
3A IT and Telecom excluding CRTs 27.8%
3B CRT monitors 35.3%
3C LCD monitors 40.5%
4A Consumer electronics excluding CRTs 40.1%
4B CRT TV's 29.9%
4C Flat Panel TVs 40.5%
5B Lighting equipments – lamps 27.5%
6 Electrical and electronic tools 20.8%
7 Toys, leisure and sports equipments 24.3%
8 Medical devices 49.7%
9 Monitoring and control equipments 65.2%
10 Automatic dispensers 59.4%
(Source: United Nations University 2009 review of Directive 2002/96 /EC on Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment)
a short period after acquisition or purchase. A minor source of acquisition of EEE by the
public is in the form of gifts. For the 2006 survey, 92.5% of respondents in Buea and
86.7% in Kumba indicated that they have at least an EEE at home. In both cases,
above 70% indicated at least one of such possessed EEE is out-of-use and for which
their best option is to take it/them to a repairs unit to see if it/they could be repaired. In
most cases if the repairer is not successful in fixing the items, they are abandoned at
repair units. Some EEE which are out of use and are not taken to repair units for some
reasons may be kept indefinitely at home. In some cases they become objects of play
for kids as well as just standing in the home for posterity. A higher number of
77
respondents in Buea (82.5%) compared to Kumba (68.3%) believe wanton disposal of
some WEEE is harmful to the environment. In cases of some harm (especially physical
harm) from handling WEEE, home treatment is administered like for any other physical
injury.
The public plays a significant role in any organized schemes for the collection of WEEE.
In Buea, 67.5% of respondents think they are willing to participate in such programs
with 52.5% indicating they may only do so if they receive some compensation. In
Kumba, 71% of respondents are willing to participate in any organized schemes and
their mode of participation is fairly balanced among the different options like: receiving
compensation, paying for collection, or free depositing items at a collection point.
4.4.1.2 Repair unit owners
Repair stores represent a major route for which there is a high likelihood of WEEE to
pass through some reuse, recovery process or a transit route to final disposal. An
inventory of the various EEE found in some 40 repair stores in Kumba and 20 in Buea
was compiled and the results are presented in tables 4.2 and 4.3 respectively. In both
cases, TVs, VCD/DVD/VHS players and radio/cassette recorders are the most common
EEE. Audio-visual appliances in both cases represent about 70% and 38% (by number)
of EEE in both localities. An interesting observation from the two tables is the difference
in types of EEE that dominates in repair units. While there is a relatively greater number
of TVs, VCD/DVD/VHS alongside radio-cassette players in Kumba than in Buea, there
is an apparent absence of computer and its related accessories in Kumba unlike in
Buea. Buea being the provincial capital of the south west province of Cameroon, it is
obvious that computer and its related accessories are bound to be in greater use.
Kumba on the other hand though a bigger town than Buea, is a commercial and farming
dominated community with connected trade links to Nigeria. Hence inflows of
appliances like TV and radio, for entertainment is quite common. In the above two
tables, the inventories give an indication of quantities of EEE as well as waste forms of
them. A significant proportion of all WEEE at repair stores are abandoned products by
customers in which case repairs cannot be done. Due to the later emergence of mobile
78
Table 5 Inventory of WEEE for some 40-repair stores in Kumba, Cameroon
Device Total number
(40 stores)
% representation
(by number)
TV sets 825 21.2
VCD/DVD/VHS players 807 20.8
Radio/cassette recorders 402 10.4
Motor cassettes 306 7.9
Stabilizers 216 5.6
Amplifiers 291 7.5
Speakers 154 4.00
Mobile phones 150 3.9
Monitors 12 0.3
Fridges 210 5.4
Electric irons 181 4.7
Fans 288 7.4
Table lamps 41 1.1
Source (Asong and Nkemnkeng, fieldwork report, 2006)
Table 6 Inventory of WEEE for some 20 repair stores in Buea, Cameroon
Device Total number
(40 stores)
% representation
(by number)
TV sets 46 9.2
VCD/DVD/VHS players 35 6.9
Radio/cassette recorders 58 11.6
Speakers 50 10.0
CPUs 69 13.8
Monitors 46 9.2
Laptops 23 4.6
Printers 16 3.2
Photocopiers 18 3.6
Blenders 43 8.6
Electric cookers 15 2.9
Fridges 41 8.2
Electric irons 24 4.8
Fans 17 3.4
Source (Asong and Nkemnkeng, fieldwork report, 2006)
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telephone repair shops, just a few of such units were operational in 2006. Mobile
phone repair units most often specialize only in these items hence they can have a lot of
phones within units. A characterization of the various EEE repair units for the two towns
(based on the WEEE scheme of the EU WEEE directive) is presented in Table 4.4
below. From the table it can be observed that: i) the classes 1 to 5 are the most
dominant types of EEE found in repair units in Kumba and Buea; ii) Class 4 is the most
dominant in both cases (77.3% and 37% respectively) although higher for Kumba than
Buea; iii) Classes 2 and 3 are significantly greater in Buea than in Kumba (13.3% and
34.3% to 4.7% and 4.2% respectively).
Table 7 Relative proportions of various classes of EEE at repair units
in Kumba and Buea, Cameroon
Equipment Class Kumba Buea
Total
counts
% representation Total
counts
% representation
Class 1 498 12.8 73 14.6
Class 2 181 4.7 67 13.4
Class 3 162 4.2 172 34.3
Class 4 3001 77.3 189 37.7
Class 5 41 1.1 - -
Source: author's construct.
A more detailed inventory was developed for 10 repair units in Buea, in January 2009
(Table 4.5). In this case, specific units were targeted as noted below the table. There is
a likely tendency of encountering about 40% of out-of-use forms of the various
equipments for equivalent expected-to-be repaired forms. One notices of course that for
some repair units the chances of finding end-of-life forms of EEE are relatively lower
than for others. This may be due to the following: i) the state of the equipment prior to
bringing to a repair unit; ii) the expertise of the repairer in getting the equipment
operational or the specific fault rectified; iii) the level of efficiency and duty
consciousness of the repairers; iv) the attitude of the owner of the device towards to
repairer; v) the perception the repairer holds of a device owner. The owner of a broken
80
down device may bring such a device for repairs at a repair unit and gives the impres-
Table 8 Inventory of EEE and end-of-use (or -life) forms in 10 repair units in Buea,
Cameroon
Equipments
Repairs Units (U)
U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U9 U10
T W T W T W T W T W T W T W T W T W T W
TV sets 25 8 30 18 3 0 8 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 2 -- -- -- --
VCD/DVD/VHS
players
20 12 25 15 8 6 15 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 0 3 2 -- --
Radio/cassette
recorders
15 5 15 8 16 5 9 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Speakers -- -- 8 5 2 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 2 -- --
CPUs -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 15 5 18 7 -- --
Monitors -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 3 13 8 -- --
Laptops -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 0 12 7 -- --
Printers -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 5 8 3 -- --
Photocopiers -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Blenders 10 4 6 -- 2 0 8 2 20 12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Electric
cookers/heater
4 1 -- -- -- -- 6 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Fridges -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 14 9
Electric irons 4 2 5 -- 6 3 5 2 6 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Fans 8 7 6 -- 1 1 6 15 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Mobile phones -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 35 25 60 30 -- -- -- -- -- --
Other minor
appliances e.g.
Wall clocks, I-
pods, mini MP3
players, etc
-- -- 4
3 -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
0 5 2 -- -- -- -- -- --
(Source: Author's fieldwork, January 2009)
U represents repair unit (hence for e.g. U1 represents repair unit 1); T represents total counts for
equipments; W represents equipments beyond repair (hence bound for disposal or some parts may be
retrieved). U1 to 5 constitutes TV, etc, repair workshops, U6 and 7 are mobile phone repair workshops,
U8 and 9 constitutes computer and accessories repair workshops U10 is a fridge/refrigerator repair
81
workshop.
sion of someone who is hard with money and hence cannot pay the desired price
demanded by repairer for repair of such a device. In return the repairer may leave such
a device standing for long at his unit. Social held stereotypes are also significant in such
cases. Some social groups have been known to be stingy with money. When typical
persons of such groups bring broken down devices to repairers, the repairer may
already predict the client's attitude towards paying for the repairs and this affects how
long the device may stay there in its broken down condition. Thus for such reasons
some devices intended for repairs end up not being repaired.
The highest of such tendency to find a greater number of end-of-life forms of EEE is
observed for class 1 EEE (Table 4.6). It can be inferred that almost half of EEE found at
repair units may be bound for disposal.
Table 9 Comparison of proportions of EEE to those considered at end-of-life
for some repair units in Buea
Equipment
Class
Total EEE (T) Total at
end-of-life(W)
% representation
(W to T)
Class 1 60 40 66.7
Class 2 72 26 36.1
Class 3 89 38 42.7
Class 4 221 103 46.6
Source: author's construct
*Table is based on data in table 4.5.
A whole lot of EEE or components of them exist which have not been classified in any of
the groups such as batteries for cell phones. More so in the process of retrieving parts
or complete components, some end up as litter around repair stores such a resistors
and display / circuit boards (figure 4.2). Some retrieved components may be placed on
display within units as items on sale and which may also be used by the repair unit
itself. This group, if quantified cannot be less significant. A listing of some common
components or items retrieved from WEEE is presented in Table 4.7. Components or
individual items may be retrieved for one of the following reasons: i) for use as an
immediate replacement for another equivalent component or item in a similar
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equipment during repair process; ii) to be sold to other repairers in need of any such
Figure 14 Circuit boards and other components of out-of-use EEE at repair
unit in Cameroon (source: author fieldwork)
materials; iii) to be kept for any future uses as need may arise. In an interview with one
repair unit owner, he indicated that some retrieved components or items from WEEE
kept within unit for some future use may end up not being used because the fast
changing pace of technology renders them obsolete. In such a case, the material may
stay longer in the units until a point in time it gets disposed of. In a few cases, some
repairers buy WEEE in order to retrieve some useful parts to use in repairing another
device. They are usually packed inside the repair stores as well as outside depending
on the available functional space within a given repair unit (fig. 4.3 a, b, c, d and e). 70%
of the repair unit owners think these equipments are of no threat both to humans and
the environment. Over 80% keep the equipment in their stores as long as there is space
for them and in cases where they have to be discarded it is done on surface refuse
dumps. Most repairers hardly put on protective kits when handling WEEE. More than
70% of the repair unit owners are interested in the formation of an organized scheme
where these devices could be collected and useful parts retrieved for reuse but are not
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interested in the introduction of a collection fee for WEEE. They also claim that there
are no laws that bind the handling and operation of WEEE as no authority come to
check their business with respect to safety control and environmental sound handling of
such equipments.
Table 10 List of some common components retrieved from WEEE by repair units’
operators in Cameroon
Class of
equipment
Type of equipment Components or items retrieved
Class 1
Fridges gas, Freon , (cooling components)
Fans Rotating devices like motors
Class 2 Blenders Rotating devices like motors
Class 3
PC / CPU Hard disk from system unit of computer
RAM chips from system unit of computer
Processor from system unit of computer
Power unit from system unit of computer
CD ROM from computer
Floppy drive from computer Laptop Keyboard from laptop
Hard disk from laptop
Photocopiers / Printers Lamps from photocopiers
Drums from photocopiers
Cleaning blade from photocopiers
Mobile phones Camera
Keypad
Screens
Batteries
Small screws
Class 4
TV CRT from TV
Video devices video card/board from DVD/VCD player
head pin from VHS player
lens from DVD/VCD/stereo player
Speakers Magnets
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Figure 4.3 WEEE at repair stores in Cameroon: computer components in inside store; and c)
WEEE outside stores; TVs from which useful components have been retrieved; e) abandoned
fridges and other WEEE. (source: author‟s fieldwork)
d e
a b c
(f) (g)
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4.4.1.3 Other sectors
Apart from households (public) and repair stores, WEEE is also generated from other
sources as businesses and administrative units. When EEE in some administrative units
becomes dysfunctional or considered as waste, they are either packed in a store
(waiting a time when some decision will be taken on their fate) or taken to repair units
(within or outside the municipality). In some cases where the equipments are
considered out of use, they are disposed of in garbage dumps like other commingled
waste. Small retail shops that deal in EEE also handle these equipments in both
functional conditions as well as obsolete forms. Unlike wholesalers, there is a great
tendency to find a very great proportion of second-handed goods in retail shops. Some
of these dealers acquire their products through connections with an agent abroad. In
some cases the agent may be the owner of the retail shop, although living abroad. Such
good are sent to Cameroon by the following means: i) as paid luggage to agents who
own containers and run regular shipping business for logistics; ii) as loaded items during
the transportation of a purchased car to Cameroon. Home based retailers may acquire
products from some intermediary home based agent or from those who have business
links with countries like Nigeria. A common practice in the acquisition of second-handed
good by retailers is that any dysfunctional or nonfunctional appliances are taken to
repair units for servicing before selling. In some cases retailers strike a direct deal with
repairers whereby they acquire all sorts of EEE, which are later serviced by repairers to
add market value. Retailers deal with both whole equipments as well as components of
them. It is believed, however, that the rising number of WEEE in the towns of the
Southwest Region of Cameroon is partly due to large illegal transport of used devices
from Nigeria, that enter the country through the Port of Lagos, and later on undergoes
some repairs and maintenance at the warehouses and are later on smuggled in to the
Electronic stores in Cameroon as newly manufactured products.
4.5 Discussion
The increasing demand and use of EEE as well as continuous rapid changes in design
and short product life span has in the last decade invited greater attention to the
handling of EEE at EoL. Such attention has been quite significant in relation to
managing waste arisings from EEE. An effective management of WEEE, just like any
other waste stream require informed decision on a number of issues that may be social,
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environmental, economic and even political.
In this study a very simple methodology has been employed to investigate the handling
of EEE at EoL in Cameroon. Developing countries like Cameroon are generally faced
with the problem of lack of data for many issues requiring investigation. The results on
the analysis of handling EEE by various sectors in Cameroon clearly present a picture
of the problem of arisings from EEE. From the results, one notices the effect of socio-
cultural / economic factors on generation of WEEE. The difference in types of EEE in
repair units in the two towns reflects this assertion. There is a greater amount of ICT
equipments in Buea than Kumba. Buea, being the administrative capital of the
Southwest region of Cameroon, is also host to the country's lone Anglo-Saxon state
university. The presence of the university has brought significant changes in
consumption patterns within the municipality. Unlike in the developed countries, where
most students as well as households can boast of at least a PC, in Cameroon, most
students as well as workers (university lecturers inclusive) have to rely on commercial
documentation services for typing of assignments, photocopy of notes and Internet
services. This high demand for documentation services coupled with the practice of
acquiring second-handed equipments results to an increasing WEEE waste stream in
this town than in other towns in the region. Kumba on the other hand is a more
commercial town with strong business links with Nigeria and with a stronger agricultural-
base economy. Proliferation of Classes 1, 2 and 4 EEE are thus common in Kumba.
These equipments are easily brought in from Nigeria.
The absence of the other Classes of EEE in repair units does not imply their total
absence in the MSW stream. Their absence rather reflects the handling of such devices
by the public and other sectors, the value attached to them, and the ability to repair
them. A good example is Class 7 EEE (i.e. Toys). Given their lifespan can be quite
short, and any attempts to repair dysfunctional forms may not be economically
beneficial, households prefer to dispose of them alongside other waste. Class 6 EEE
(like hand drills etc) are most often used by technicians. Most of these technicians are
contented they can fix them in case of malfunctioning. Thus such equipments at EoL are
only disposed of directly from the user.
It is obvious that repair units represent a very important channel for which any attempt
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to manage WEEE must focus. The common practice of repairing dysfunctional
equipments enhances the process of reuse. Also, the practice of retrieving parts for
reuse for purposes similar to the original purpose of the retrieved parts or other
adaptable uses enhances the process of recovery. The basic problem which looms
however is the fate of WEEE. All handlers of WEEE have just the one option of
disposing of them like any other waster through the different disposal practices in
Cameroon. At the level of household disposal, they may be dumped on yard surface
dumps and later burnt with other waste or dropped in municipal collection facilities for
onward landfilling. Repair units are mostly within residential households. Hence they too
dispose their WEEE in the same process like households do.
4.6 Applicability of recycling and recovery of WEE in Cameroon
In the past two decades, technological advancement, institutional commitments and
public awareness in relation to handling waste of all sorts have been on a general
increase for developed countries. The contrary may holds true for developing countries
like Cameroon. One is not left, though, with the impression that nothing can be done.
Rather, for anything constructive to be achieved, there must be a basis and such
intentions must be applied with practicability that focuses to the particular situation
under study. The current situation of handling practices for e-waste in Cameroon is
presented in Table 4.8.
In Cameroon, EEE are in broad range of uses and by several users, involving individual
persons, entire household, businesses and other administrative units. For economic
reasons, most of these EEE are acquired as second-hand products with a likelihood of
shorter life spans to the owner. Thus at end -of- life they are either bound for repairs and
subsequent reuse or dumping with little or no attention paid to the dangers these
equipments may pose to humans and the environment. Although some instances of
injury or poisoning from WEEE are reported, a greater part of the inhabitants hold that
WEEE poses no significant threat to man and ecosystem. While the traditional or
classical approach to material recovery (from waste) involves a coordinated system
from collection, transportation and selective separation of different components, the
application of the concept may vary from place to place. Here we present an adaptable
approach based on the context we are dealing with and keeping in mind the strengths
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Table 11 Current situation of WEEE in Cameroon
Issue on WEEE Current practice / case Remarks
Generation / storage
- Generally stored longer at gene-ration points e.g. household and repair units. - Some kept longer at households for aesthetic value.
Repair units storing most as WEEE from different sectors are brought to units for repairs.
Collection / disposal
- No specialized means of collec-tion, commingled with MSW. - Disposed (mainly smaller equip-ment ) as part of MSW stream.
- Loss of potentially recoverable materials. - Source of pollution due to uncon-trolled disposal. - Major businesses like mobile phone operators may initiate take back programs.
Recovery/Recycling
- Individual attempts at households to fix dysfunctional equipments. - Repair units fix dysfunctional equipments as well as retrieving useful components and parts.
- Recycling/recovery not quite comprehensive. - After recovery, remaining compo-nents disposed alongside MSW (often uncontrolled).
Cost of managing
- Absence of defined management schemes. - Repair units may freely or for a small payment take back dysfunc-tional equipments from consumers for purpose of fixing or component recovery.
- Recycling / recovery may be pro-fitable to small existing schemes (SMEs). - Financial sustainability especially on a large scale not yet investiga-ted under present condition.
Potential recyclers
- Repair units represent potential link in a recycling / recovery chain. - Units are found in almost every locality though of varied sizes and scale of operation.
- Need for comprehensive manag-ement schemes. - Repair units can handle a signifi-cant proportion of WEEE with res-pect to recycling / recovery but not disposal.
Public awareness
Little awareness of both the signi-ficant contribution of WEEE to MSW stream and environmental pollution.
- Difficulty in coming to terms with fact that EEE becomes waste esp-ecially after short span of use. - Several attempts to fix.
Import
High rate of import of especially used EEE, which may have shorter span thereby increasing MSW problem.
Problem difficult to handle as even used EEE are valuable to consu-mers based of use-value conside-rations.
Export
No export schemes. With good recycling / recovery pro- grams initiated, recovered compo- nents or items may find external markets.
Policy and Legislation
No specific policy and regulations on WEEE.
- National framework legislation on WEEE necessary. - Sectors may also regulate their operations.
Source: author‟s analysis
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and barriers to implementation. WEEE is not the only group of waste for which
component materials can be recovered. Aluminum based products have been
recovered in a local way and sold to manufacturing firms and industries. The socio-
cultural context of communities in Cameroon makes it quite easy to rally public concern
and support for initiatives that may seem beneficial to them. Although no coordinated
waste collection schemes exist for local communities (like community-based
organizations) the implementation of collection schemes of some sort for WEEE is quite
plausible. Through NGOs, private, municipal and government initiated schemes; a
coordinated effort could be made towards the handling of WEEE in Cameroon. Because
a lot of people follow radio programs, a first stage in implementation will be
sensitization. Common collection points may be created for communities. At such
collection points, people are expected to drop their WEEE, which would be
subsequently transported to a central collection unit by trucks. This is quite possible
given the willingness of the public to participate in such a program. At the central
collection point, WEEE could be dismantled to retrieve different components.
Components that are still useful especially to repair units will be sold in return to these
units. Thus business transactions may be entered between repair units and such a
central collection and dismantling unit. Such operations must be made between the
central collection/dismantling firm with industries that make use of the different retrieved
component materials like plastic and glass. With the emerging patterns of business
relations between Cameroon and countries like China, retrieved recyclable components
of WEEE may find some markets. Such markets already exist for especially for scrap
metals.
Repair units for broken down EEE serve a very vital channel for which efforts to recycle
WEEE can be focused. They present greater opportunities to establishing collection
services and recovery of components. There exists some coordinated union of EEE
repairers in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. The basic aim of such a union has
been for information sharing and training in repairing EEE. Such aims could be
expanded and partnerships established between them and councils or other private or
public schemes. On the other hand, the councils who have been responsible for
managing waste generated within their municipalities could start off collection programs
for WEEE in areas with good accessibility. The existing practices in handling of EEE
both in use and at end-of-life, and the fact that a considerable amount of WEEE are
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reported, constitutes a basis for the implementation of a coordinated material recovery
scheme in Cameroon.
4.6.1 Strengths to applicability
A major strength in the above move is backed-up by the existing practices in the
handling of WEEE. Most repair stores retrieve useful parts or components from WEEE
and use for subsequent repairs of broken-down ones. Because such retrieval is done
uncoordinated, a lot of material may not be recovered. Thus a coordinate material
recovery scheme would ensure a coordinated recovery and assembly of useful parts
and components whereby repairs technician could buy as appropriate. Based on the
compiled inventory of WEEE and interviewees‟ responses, it is obvious that a
considerable quantity of WEEE is available in the two areas studied. Projections based
on such results for other areas of Cameroon will imply instituting a material recovery
scheme would be a beneficial move. When such materials are disposed of in garbage
dumps, it creates as imbalance in the ideal material cycle and hence loss of material.
A greater majority of respondents (both repair store owners and the public) indicate they
would be quite willing to participate in a coordinated material recovery program either
financial or otherwise. Such a scheme could be operated under local councils, Common
Initiative Groups (CIGs), Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs), or other private
groups with some government support. They would not only have the advantage of
preventing material loss, they could be a source on employment and income generation
for communities or businesses. It becomes easy to ensure recovery under such
schemes, as it would be done with environmental safety measures enhanced and
enforced.
There exist major mobile phone network companies (MTN and Orange) in Cameroon
with strong connection to similar companies in the developed world as well as major
dealers in electronic and electrical equipments. These businesses could initiate “take-
back” schemes for people wanting to acquire new equipments as well as those wishing
to get rid of out of use ones. Although such schemes only makes sense after a cost-
benefit analysis has been carried out, defining adaptable conditions under which such a
scheme may operate could be quite beneficial.
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4.6.2 Barriers to applicability
Barriers to the implementation of appropriate material recovery schemes in Cameroon
include knowledge gap, awareness, economic and institutional set-backs. The
knowledge gap involves both technology and human resources. Since the material
recovery concept has evolved amidst a significant technological set up, the technology
gap in Cameroon may make it difficult to set up an MRF with the required precision. If
technology is to be bought or transferred, the necessary human resources must be in
place to sustain the technology. This may be lacking in Cameroon as the concept of
environmental sustainability and its related concerns are still new at least in practice in
the country. Environmental awareness and education are still at very low ebbs in the
country. However, the technological and human resource problem is not one that cannot
be overcome.
The economic resources to enhance the take-off of schemes and programs for material
recovery in Cameroon may be quite lacking when such initiatives are to be undertaken
by the public or small groups. This problem may also be compounded when economic
incentives like subsidies are not provided for such schemes. The inadequate or lack of
appropriate legislation on recycling and handling of WEEE in Cameroon is a serious
problem from the view points of the material cycle, health and environmental safety. The
main law on the environmental management in Cameroon (Law No.96/12 of 5th August
1996) has some stipulation on waste management concerns yet not too detail and with
practical follow-up/implementation problems. The present practices in the handling of
WEEE are usually not in compliance with safety requirements and pregnant with a lot of
ignorance. The lack of specific policies, legislation and regulatory framework on WEEE
may also make options like “take-back” mechanism difficult.
4.7 Conclusion
The quantity of WEEE in Cameroon is on an increase due to the increasing demand for
used or second-hand equipments whose conditions are not very certain to the
consumer. The desire to live to the taste of technology (though with meager resources)
in the recent past has also boosted the acquisition of EEE implying at end-of- life the
problem of managing waste from this equipments will be even greater. The WEEE
differs in types with location based on the major activities in the area and the
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educational institutions. However TVs and related acoustics form the greater bulk of
WEEE in the localities studied. Although there is a general lack of material recovery
facilities in Cameroon, traditional approaches of management such as recovery and
reuse of functional components of WEEE are quite plausible. Based on public
willingness to participate in management programs, recovery schemes could be
implemented, which would be quite adaptable in context though drawing from the
experiences of developed systems. Thus we content that such schemes would greatly
reduce the impacts of WEEE both to humans and the environment while adjusting to
some degree the disequilibrium in the material cycle (where natural materials are
exploited when existing products could be recycled and reused).
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Chapter Five
Recycling of Aluminum and other metals SMEs in Cameroon:
Challenges and Prospects
Chapter Abstract
In this chapter, a critical assessment of recycling of aluminum has been presented. Through the use
of questionnaires, interview and field observations, recycling of aluminum for the production of
mainly household utensils by small-scale private schemes in Cameroon and also the recycling of
other metals have been investigated. The recycling of aluminum for production of household utensils
represents a very basic and adaptive industrial set-up, which can easily be operated and run at very
cheap cost and with a little manpower. While this venture seems apparently successful in economic
terms as an option to poverty alleviation through income generation, it is plagued by some problems
which, if given due consideration will render it a prospective cause for poverty alleviation (through
small enterprise business development) and environmental sustainability (as an option to
sustainable MSWM). The lack of defined institutional structures also compound the problems and
results in losses on the part of the stakeholders involved in the entire venture i.e. governments,
producers or recyclers, public and the market. In this chapter, a model is thus presented, which can
be utilized by stakeholders to improve on the sector. Recommendations on areas for further
research are equally presented.
Keywords: Aluminum, Recycling, SME, Poverty alleviation
5.1 Introduction
Recycling comprises the collection of recyclable material (considered waste), the sorting
and processing of these into raw materials and the manufacturing of these materials
into new products (EPA, 2006). According to Jo Ruiz Jr. (2001), recycling presents
enormous prospects and hence stands out clearly as the most preferred method of
Solid Waste Management (SWM). And recycling is done for three reasons: altruistic,
economic imperatives and legislative reasons. Because recycling involves several
different activities, technological and institutional aspects may vary for the process with
respect to materials and locality. In the past, solid waste was bound for landfills or burnt.
A shift in ideology has been experienced in the past three or so decades whereby the
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reuse and recycling of solid wastes (or at least some fraction of solid waste) has
become a top priority for Solid Waste Management (SWM) programs. Thus there has
been to some extent, a reduction in quantity of solid waste that goes to landfills or
incineration plants (at least for materials that can be recycled). Recycling presents
enormous opportunities as a means to Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) in
general and in enhancing equilibrium within the material cycle in particular. According to
EPA (2003) reports on MSWM in the US, recycling recovered 30% (68 million Tons) of
MSW generated in 2001 and the number of community curbside recycling programs
had increased 5% more than in the previous year. The report also shows that MSW
recovered for recycling in 2001 was 29.7%, land disposal 55.7% and combustion
14.7%. Thus there is still the need for optimization of material recovery from waste.
Recycling may be a major or minor consideration in a SWM plan depending on various
factors which may be in line with economic, technological and administrative
frameworks considerations.
Recycling generally begins at the point of waste generation, through the several
methods of collection and subsequent transportation to a resource or material recovery
facility. This facility, however, may be part of a disposal facility or an independent entity
intended for a particular purpose. Although the term recycling is being thought by some
to be synonymous to reprocessing, it may differ in some respect to the latter. The
significant difference between the two lies in: 1) the basic definition; 2) cost and capacity
implications; 3) origins of waste; and 4) while in recycling items are recovered in forms
which can be reused to manufacture recycle-based products of original material, in
reprocessing the waste is reduced to one or more materials from which completely new
products are made (Manser and Keeling, 1996). Thus in this view recycling involves
selective recovery for reuse and reprocessing involves general reduction of component
for alternative uses. In terms of cost and capacity, a recycling venture by implication will
involve lower cost and capacity than for reprocessing. When one gets to look at the two
in terms of income generated, one notices that depending on context, a recycling
venture may be economically accommodating than a reprocessing one. It requires
much capital cost to set up a reprocessing plant given all sorts of wastes may be
brought in without any prior separation by generator. But recycling may be something
involving just a few pickers to bigger scale operations like a recovery facility. Manser
and Keeling (1996) ascertain a reprocessing facility worth $8 million may yield at least
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$1.8 million a year while orders of costs in a recycling scheme may range from zero to
$3.5 million. Thus as a means to waste management, feasibility studies are essential to
decide which may be appropriate for a particular situation – recycling or reprocessing. In
all, the decision to choose which of the two (recycling or reprocessing) is to be used for
a given situation depends on the cost to be tolerated. While recycling suffers a greater
financial burden on collection with a resulting cheaper disposal, the converse holds for
reprocessing. Hence unless there is external support or subsidies such as funding by
some public authorities, the decision on whether to reprocess or recycle waste can be
very crucial. Despite the issues above on what recycling should mean, the following
definition of recycling is adopted in this thesis: “the separation, collection, processing
into new or similar products and the reuse of material that is considered at the time prior
to subjection of the above process as waste or of almost zero use-value”. Recycling
thus represents a cyclic loop with huge material gains.
It is following this line of argument that this thesis presents a case for the recycling of
aluminum and other metals in Cameroon for the manufacture of basic home utensils.
Thus considering recycling may involve quite lower costs and the scale of these
business involved start-off at smaller scales, it is worth re-examining such existing
schemes in Cameroon and evaluate the enormous potentials they present as agents of
sustainable development. The recycling of aluminum and other metals for production of
mainly cooking utensils and other works of craft has been going on in Cameroon for a
long while. Recycling of metals for the production of works of craft is mainly
concentrated around traditional palaces and in localities where such crafts constitute
potential business. However, the recycling of especially aluminum for the production of
cooking utensils, mainly cooking pots, is concentrated within economically active areas
in Cameroon. In such economically active areas, there is the likely advantage that such
a business may have opportunities to obtain start-off capital, materials may be more
available and easily transported and subsequent purchasing of final product can be
more assured.
Prior to the start of the year 2000, the collection, transportation and production of
recycled-based products were mainly in the hands of Small-scale/Medium Enterprises
(SMEs). After the year 2000, there has been a growing market for aluminum and other
metal wastes, some of which are transported abroad to countries like China, Ghana and
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Nigeria. The main raw material chain for these SMEs is waste aluminum and other
metal products gotten from waste disposal sites (public and household dumps,
car/vehicle garages, etc) by mainly children and adolescents and sold to these small-
scale businesses. These industries play a great role not only in the transformation of
waste into reusable products (an economic motive) but also a significant means to
enhance equilibrium in the material cycle by reducing resource depletion through
landfilling.
Although recycling may serve enormous advantages as an approach to MSWM it also
poses several challenges. Such challenges lie in working out economic ventures that go
in line with other institutional arrangements and for which a massive public involvement
can be rallied. The experiences of recycling from different countries also show that an
operational strategy may work well for one region and not for another. Thus it is very
necessary to examine different recycling programs for different localities or regions and
deduce useful information from them that can be used in designing new programs or for
the effective and efficient continuity or sustenance of existing ones.
Enormous literature exists on the subject of recycling from scientific, technological and
socio-economic perspectives. Such literature can be found in documents of several
environmental agencies and organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) in the US, European Aluminum Association (EAA) to name a few. Despite lots of
work already done in the area of aluminum recycling, gaps still exist on the development
of strategies to maximize collection of scrap, increasing public involvement and
impacting on industrial design of products to minimize waste and encourage recycling.
In developing countries like Cameroon on the other hand, there exist a big problem of
data availability on the subject. Some studies on environmental issues are being carried
out by students of the Department of Geology and Environmental Science of the
University of Buea, but more focus is usually on issues such as geo- and natural
hazards, environmental education and administrative and public aspects of MSWM.
Thus there is need for more comprehensive data generation on aspects of waste
management like recycling to produce simple and useful household items. This thesis
thus constitutes a pioneer work on the subject of recycling of aluminum scrap in
Cameroon by small private schemes. Given little or apparently scanty data exist on the
subject, the thesis is intended to supplement the data bank on the subject.
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In Cameroon relatively little is being done in the area of recycling MSW. Much concern
is however being put in the areas of biodiversity conservation and water and land
resources. As the massive effort in biodiversity conservation and water/land resources
issues keeps growing and rallying both national and international support, a basic
environmental problem still looms with diverse adverse environmental effects – the
problem of municipal solid wastes. Aside the massive primary production of aluminum
from bauxite in Edea, private schemes exist that operate smaller facilities that recycle
aluminum scrap for production of mainly cooking pots. Little is of course known of these
schemes with respect to their organization, operation, challenges faced and prospects.
Thus for the growth of such sectors, information needs to be generated relating to their
activities from which strategies to get both government and public involvement may be
designed as well as cost effectiveness determined. Thus given the important role such a
sector may play in MSWM in particular and environmental sustainability in general, the
sector demands some valuable studies
The operations of these small private schemes have, however, been characterized by
some problem which fall in the broad range of socio-economic, industrial/technological
and environmental. It is in this respect that this study sought to make an overview of this
small, yet significant sector, assess the challenges and highlight the prospects for such
a sector. In this study, it is hypothesized that “the recycling of aluminum and other
metals by small private schemes in Cameroon represents a significant approach to
environmentally friendly MSWM and whose socio-economic benefits can be maximized
with increased stakeholder involvement. This study seeks to address the following
research questions:
What are the major forces that have driven the quest to recycle aluminum?
What state-of-the-art technology and institutional structures exist for aluminum
recycling by small scale private schemes in Cameroon?
What prospects does the existing situation present?
5.2 Objectives and Rationale of Study
5.2.1 Objectives
The general objective of this study is to make an evaluation of the recycling of aluminum
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and other metals for the production of recycle-based market products in Cameroon with
special focus on the Southwest and Northwest Regions of Cameroon. The specific
objectives include:
To make an analysis of the different stages (i.e. collection and processing)
involved in the recycling of aluminum waste by small holder schemes in the south
west province of Cameroon.
To evaluate the contributions of the activities of these schemes to solid waste
management in general and the material cycle of aluminum in Cameroon in
particular.
To develop appropriate strategies and options for effective and sustainable
operation of these schemes based on socioeconomic and environmental
considerations.
5.2.2 Method and Rationale of study
Two data sets - primary and secondary - comprised the basic materials used in this
study. Administered questionnaires and responses from interviews (generated from field
work) comprised the primary data set. During field studies, the various stages of metal
waste generation, collection and transportation alongside the process of melting and
molding of aluminum into pots and other household goods was fully described. The
economic ramifications involved in the recycling process in this sector (SME) were
evaluated based on interviews and personal communication. Available literature on
aluminum recycling, MSWM for Southwest province and other literature relevant to the
study comprised the secondary data set and was used to compliment primary data in
attaining the objectives of the study. Based on the findings of this study, appropriate
options have been sought where lapses exist based on socio-economic, technological
and environmental considerations.
The first part of this chapter introduces a discussion on aluminum recycling from a
broader perspective drawing examples from different developed countries. This does
not only serve to highlight on the successes and failures of the move to recycle, it
provides a partial but significant socio-economic and technological lens through which
the same issues can be viewed in developing countries. An assessment of the existing
small-scale private schemes involved in the recycling of aluminum in Cameroon is
99
made. It evaluates the different stages involved in this activity. Hence results of the
study will serve as a significant working document not only for individuals and groups
involved in the recycling of aluminum into commonly used household products, but also
a valuable asset to government, local councils, NGOs and CBOs as it may constitute
some basis for sound and informed decision-making on MSWM.
5.3 Aluminum within MSW stream
Since the 1960s, aluminum has constituted a relatively small proportion by weight, of
the waste stream compared to other commonly recycled components of MSW like
paper and plastics. However, the trend in generation of aluminum waste has increased
during this period though not very sharp. An EPA report in 2001, show a significant
increase from 340 – 3,190 thousand tons from 1960 to 2001 of aluminum in the waste
stream. In terms of material recovery from MSW, a very small proportion of aluminum in
MSW was being recovered prior to the 1990s. Thus compared to the 1960s when only a
very small amount of aluminum was being recovered from MSW, 35.9% was being
recovered in 1990. While the range in values for percent of total discards and recovery
for paper/paperboard have a smaller variation from 1960-2001, that of aluminum is quite
large. Hence although more aluminum is discarded than is being recovered, recovery
with respect to other components of waste stream is quite significant. Generation and
discards seem however, to have been on an increase. When one takes the case of
aluminum in MSW in the US in 2001, one notices it is not from all available sources of
aluminum that the metal can be recovered. Aluminum from durable as well as non-
durable goods (such as appliances and furniture) and food and other cans were not
recovered. It is thus apparent that the recovery of aluminum from these three sources
can be described as still inefficient.
5.4 Institutional aspects of Recycling of Aluminum
Public, governments and private sectors may play vital roles, both on individual or joint
basis, in managing recycling programs. The efforts of these groups, despite held
optimism, may be challenging. Pilot programs as well as fully operating recycling
programs are widely in operation in the US with remarkable success. Interestingly, a
number of these programs are build around communities. In these cases the
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communities run community collection systems and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
Private and governmental bodies are also involved in recycling programs and may work
in partnerships with the community directly or indirectly in such programs. By 1992 there
were about 900 MRF in the US (Steuteville and Goldstein, 1993).
A characteristic institutional aspect of recycling is the market structure typified by two
tiers: intermediate and end user tiers as illustrated in figure 2.5 in Chapter Two. The
intermediate market serves as a bridge between the generators of materials
(recyclables) and the manufacturers (manufacturers). The existence of a market is a
very important institutional aspect for any recycling program. Despite its ecological
benefits, cost recovery must be at the center of any recycling program thus making
recycling a highly economic venture. In some way, cost is reclaimed by the economic
approach of offsetting cost for alternative disposal such as to landfills and incineration
plants. The economic forces may be play a significant role in sustaining a recycling
program but if the design at the level of industry is poor, profitability then is in doubt.
Technological design should strife at ensuring a far greater proportion of material that is
not economically viable becomes viable. The existence of appropriate legislation is a
very important institutional aspect of any successful recycling program. Such legislative
actions help significantly in both the development and operation of recycling programs
(see Chapter Two for examples of such legislations). Thus for aluminum recycling (just
like any other recycling programs) to be sustainable, due consideration has to be given
to the following aspects: socioeconomic, legislative/policy and technological aspects.
5.5 Recycling of aluminum in Cameroon
5.5.1 Background
A significantly large scale industrial operation in Cameroon dealing with aluminum
production is ALUCAM, which is operated at Edea for the smelting of bauxite into
aluminum. Thus there has been more of primary resource material usage than
recycling. Over historic past, traditional blacksmiths have been involved in either the
smelting of raw metals or the recycling of waste metals for manufacture of traditional
weapons and utensils. Such traditional activities are quite widespread in Foumban in
the Western Region as well as the most parts of the grassland regions of Cameroon. Of
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interest in this study however, is the role of SMEs in the recycling of metals mainly
aluminum, in the manufacture of household cooking utensils.
In the past decade, much interest is being put by government and communities in
encouraging growth and development of small scale industries. There exist a ministry
for the growth of small businesses and enterprises. However, this ministry is yet to
explore the full range of activities going on in the country in terms of its mission. Lots of
small scale businesses do operate in the country unknown to (or not registered with)
governments and municipal authorities. Thus the benefits these businesses could have
from the government such as economic incentives, funding, and training may hardly
come by. And on the hand, the businesses by operating in the black market, evade
taxes, which are equally beneficial to the government. Given the way these small
privately owned businesses operate, it can be quite difficult to know precisely how many
of them exist. They are not very open structures to the public and state authorities. And
the owners too are conscious of the fact that when their activities become fully
uncovered by the government, they may be expected to start paying taxes. They do
undermine the benefits they may get from the government. From a very general
perspective, these businesses have been successful and do represent prospective
targets for the fight against poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship and
environmental sustainability through appropriate approaches to waste management.
5.5.2 Perspective of Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon
Recycling, generally speaking, is still at a low level of operation in Cameroon especially
when considered as an alternative option in MSWM. In this study, focus is, however, on
small-scale private schemes for recycling of aluminum into usable/marketable products.
At the level of households and commercial areas, most aluminum waste is bound for
disposal. The fate of aluminum in Cameroon is shown on the flow diagram in figure 5.1.
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Figure 15 Fate of Municipal Solid Waste in Cameroon
Products with aluminum as main material (such as pots) or component material at end-
of-life are generally bound for disposal. In some cases may be reused by some
individuals although they were out of use to others. While in surface dumps and
landfills, aluminum scrap may be picked up (recovered) and sold for recycling while
some that are not accessible remain in the disposal sites. The scraps are either sold to
local private recycling services or to neighboring Nigeria. Aluminum based products like
packaging and container materials (foils and cans) are rarely used in recycling. Mainly
damaged aluminum roof sheets, used aluminum pots and aluminum components of
used devices constitute materials that are recovered and recycled.
At a very local but significant scale, aluminum recycling has received greater attention in
Cameroon. Some individuals as well as small groups have been over the past 30 years
or so involved in the collection, processing and marketing of aluminum recycled market
products. The commonest of these recycled products is a model of cooking pots
generally referred to as “macocot”. They are very much valuable to locals as they can
last longer than aluminum pots made from primary bauxite. They also have the
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
Domestic / Community
Surface dumping
/ burning
Recovery
Landfill /
incernation
Recycling
Reuse
Recovery / Reuse
Commercial
DISPOSAL
Administration
GOOD / PRODUCTS / SERVICES
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advantage of extra resistance to physical damage. These small private schemes for
recycling of aluminum are located in several communities in the country. Most often they
are not operated as registered businesses. More so there is little stock taking (lack of
administrative procedures). Hence records on production as well as materials used are
hard to find.
5.5.3 Recycling of aluminum for production of cooking pots
A series of steps are involved in the recycling of aluminum by small private schemes in
Cameroon. These steps can be grouped into i) material collection, ii) material
processing and transformation into new products and iii) the marketing of the recycled-
based products.
5.5.3.1 Collection of Raw material
The first step in the recycling of aluminum in Cameroon is the collection of the waste
aluminum materials. Aluminum waste, which constitutes the raw material (which may be
described as secondary) for the aluminum recycling industry is obtain through the
following means:
„Pick-ups‟ from municipal and household waste disposal sites mainly by children,
which are then sold to agents who may/may not be directly linked to the
processing unit.
Direct collection from a business unit that generates aluminum wastes such as
vehicle repairs garages. Alternatively the aluminum waste may be purchased.
Purchase of aluminum waste by producer from an agent.
Most houses are roofed with aluminum sheets. Wind destruction events on roofs are
common as well as leaky spots for which case sheets have to be replaced. The
damaged or leaky sheets are disposed of as waste. In vehicle repairs garages, parts
considered useless are disposed of around garage premises. Some of these discarded
items are aluminum-based products. Mostly children, pick up aluminum materials from
household dumps and community waste disposal sites. This involves picking up of
scraps that are usually stuck in smelly refuse and obnoxious substances although some
may be relatively free of these substances. In these cases, the dirt is usually cleaned up
by just shaking it off the scrap or hitting on the ground to get it off the scrap. Hence the
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pick-ups of scrap by children may involve the handling of very smelly materials with
bare hands, which may be dangerous. An improper practice by children is to get useful
aluminum products at home to sell to buyers of scrap aluminum.
In some communities, small commercial businessmen who trade with other localities
may buy scrap aluminum at any time from children at a slightly cheaper rate. And when
they have obtained a reasonable quantity of material they may then take them to
localities where “macocots” are produced and sold to producers. In this way the
producers benefit from the quantity of supply. Upon purchase, the materials are
compressed using sledgehammer so as to maximize space and enhance the
transportation of larger quantities. Most often purchase of aluminum from pick-ups is not
based on any particular reference standard for which one can correlate price to weight.
Such scrap aluminum like damaged building roof sheets or car parts, etc, does not have
a fixed price, since one cannot fix a price on material full of impurities. The buyer prices
the scrap by eye inspection and feel of weight by hand thus prices vary. Pure aluminum
is sold at per kilogram 0.60 – 0.80$ (black market), but normal price is 1.00 - 1.40$ per
kilogram in Douala. The pure aluminum is gotten from bigger industries in Douala as by-
products of some manufacturing process. The scraps are packed in nylon bags and are
then transported mainly by road transport to the processing unit. Normally, vehicles are
used in transporting especially pure aluminum, since it is heavy especially when many
kilograms are bought. Scrap metal is carried in trucks (or wheelbarrow), or depending
on the type by hand to processing unit once around the vicinity of household housing
the unit.
5.5.3.2 Manufacturing
Most of the small private schemes for recycling of aluminum present a gleaming picture
of some primitive industry. For example environmental issues are not considered, health
and safety measures not/poorly enforced and there is the use of adapted devices. In
this study, two main issues are described in the transformation of aluminum waste into
usable products i.e. a) the production unit and b) the steps involved in the processing.
a) The Production Unit
The production unit is usually located around households as an extension to kitchens
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(since most kitchens in Cameroon are outside and separated from main
accommodation building because of the profuse use of wood for cooking). The burning
wood for cooking is associated with the generation of smoke which is a main reason
why most kitchens are separated from living section of households. The production unit
requires a relatively small surface area and thus they can be located as extension to
normal household kitchen blocks. Most of these units occupy land surface areas
ranging from 25 – 50m2. The unit may be divided into three sections: section to store
wood or fuel; another for building the molds and a section with the production devices.
The production devices, which may be termed the processing unit comprises the
following main components: i) the air generation unit, ii) ventilation pipe, iii)
heating/melting unit, iv) molds
i) Air generation Unit
The air generation unit consists of a bicycle wheel (or a similar circular rotary device)
with a chord placed along the middle of its outer surface. The chord is stretched out at
one end and attached to a motor (with a fan) to the ground surface (figure 5.2). At the
hub of the wheel is fixed a metal handle, which enable the wheel to be hand driven into
spins (based on the same principles like a bicycle pedal). Thus the hand-driven spins
from the wheel, through the rotary belt, are amplified by the motor which causes the fan
to turn at a speed far greater than the wheel thereby generating a stream of air which
passes along the ventilation pipe to the heating chamber. Air generation in this case is
generally a labor intensive exercise and may run for a few to several hours. Often more
than one person is involved whereby they swap roles in spinning the wheel from time to
time. Depending on the quality of the wood or charcoal, the process may be either
continuous or with short breaks.
ii) Ventilation Pipe
The ventilation pipe is usually a metal pipe (1.5 - 3m) through which air generated from
the air generation unit moves to the heating/smelting unit where it keeps the wood or
charcoal burning. It is generally buried a little below the ground surface to avoid contact
with body when it gets heated and to ensure it blows air to the heating chamber from
the bottom. One of the two ends is wider than the other. This wider end encloses the fan
so as to accommodate all air stream generated and the smaller size of the end below
the heating chamber enhances higher pressures for air release thus enhancing the
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fanning role for heating.
Figure 16 Air ventilation unit components of local macocot pot production plant in Cameroon.
(Notice chord fixed both round the wheel and motor in front of wheel) Source: author‟s fieldwork.
iii) Heating Chamber
The heating chamber consists of a truck wheel (or other cylindrical iron or steel device),
part of which is placed below ground surface (figure 5.3). The ventilation pipe is
connected to the base of the device. During production, charcoal or wood is first placed
in the cylindrical device up to a desired level. Then another cylindrical device (the
melting pot), in which the scrap metals are placed for melting, in placed in the fixed
chamber. The diameter of the melting pot is always such that there is considerable
space between it and the melting dish so that charcoal/wood can be put in between the
wood to increase the heating effect. The volume of the melting pot depends on the
scale of production but is generally 10 - 20 liters. The smelting dishes are replaced
when they become faulty i.e. leaky and this may be after about a year or more.
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Figure 17 Heating chamber constituting a cylindrical metal device into which charcoal or wood is used for energy generation. Note in a) ventilation pipe on surface and b) ventilation pipe buried. (Source: author‟s fieldwork)
iv) Molds
The molds are made by using well sieved soil with considerable cohesive and elastic
properties and wooden boxes of different sizes (figure 5.4). The boxes are designed
such that two opposite surfaces are left open. In order to form a mold, a pot of a given
size is filled with the fine soil and pressed upon carefully with both the hands and short
wooden pestle. The pot filled with the pressed soil is then overturned and the pot gently
pulled leaving behind the soil. Finely sieved ash from burnt wood is then sprinkled on
the surface of the internal mold. Putting the ash in a cloth or sock and shaking it above
mold to have fine particles is a common practice. A spoon or spatula is used to rub on
the mold surface to obtain a surface that is smooth to feel. The same pot is then placed
overturned on the ground and a rectangular wooden box of a size in proportion the pot
is placed over the pot such that there is ample space between pot and box. The finely
sieved soil is then poured into the box and pressed in the same manner as above. A
rod, about 2cm diameter and about 4cm length is placed at the center of the box such
that its base touches the pot within. The outer part may be widened into a funnel shape
to ease pouring of melted tenor. Before overturning the box, this rod is first removed
leaving a vent through which melted scrap will then be poured. Finely sieved wood ash
a b
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is again sprinkled on the created external mold and the smoothing process carried on.
This is then carefully placed on the earlier created mold. Marks are made on the
wooden boxes which serve to ensure that both molds are placed in appropriate
positions. The process of making the molds can be quite delicate and time consuming.
Because the pots are given numerical size names (sizes 1,2,3,4, etc), the same too
applies to the mold.
Figure 18 Construction of molds for production of household cooking pots (Source: author‟s fieldwork)
b) Steps involved in the Processing
Three basic steps are involved in the processing of the aluminum wastes at the
processing plant: i) melting ii) pouring of melted tenor into molds iii) pulling out mold to
have pots iv) correcting for errors in shapes v) cleaning of entire unit (figure 5.5). Little is
done in terms of preparing the aluminum scraps for smelting. However, removal of large
impurities on metals surfaces and size reduction may be done to reduce contaminants
and ease the placing on scrap into the melting pot. In cases where wood is used, the
wood has to be split into smaller pieces so they can conveniently be placed in the
heating chamber. Depending on how fast and crafted the producer is, melting begins
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after all molds have been prepared or may go on simultaneously.
Figure 19 Steps involved in the recycling of aluminum at a processing plant in Cameroon
(author‟s construct)
i) Melting of Scrap
In the smelting process the aluminum is filed in the smelting container before setting the
heating chamber operational. As the heating gets on, amount of aluminum in melting
container greatly reduces due to melting. Hence there is continues addition of raw
material to meet expected volume for given production. When smelting is complete,
liquid aluminum settles at the base of container while all other impurities as dirt and soil
particles remain afloat. These are taken out skillfully with a long metal spoon to leave
silver-colored liquid aluminum. Smelting generally runs for over four hours. The heating
may get to temperatures of 6000 C and more which is the minimum to melt aluminum.
ii) Pouring of melted tenor into molds
When melting is complete, the melted aluminum is then poured into the molds through
Sieving of soil
Arrangement of
wooden boxes
Formation of moulds Sieving of burnt
wood ash
Melting of
aluminum scrap
Setting wood
/charcoal on fire
Air generation
Liquid aluminum and
impurities
Impurities / waste
Empty boxes
Soil / wood
ash
Recycle products (e.g.
pots)
Market
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the small opening at the top. This is done as fast as possible to avoid cooling since
cooling will result in hardening. If for any reason there process has to be halted the
melting dish is placed back in the heating chamber. After pouring, the molds are left for
about 5-10 minutes.
iii) Pulling out molds to have pots
After a short length of time upon pouring of liquid aluminum into molds as indicated
above, the soil is then shattered and the pots (or new products whatever the case) are
then removed and dipped into water to cool them and ensure they are hardened. The
soil is then discarded as residue since it cannot be reuse because it has lost its
cohesive properties. The empty wooden boxes can then be reused. In terms of scrap
material requirement, table 5.1 presents some insights into the relationship between
Table 12 Relationship between quantity of aluminum scrap used to pot size produced (values are
based on interview for three production units)
Production Unit 1 Production Unit 2 Production Unit 3
Quantity of
scrap (in kg)
Pot size
(numerical or
other name)
Quantity of
scrap (in kg)
Pot size
(numerical or
other name)
Quantity of
scrap (in kg)
Pot size
(numerical or
other name)
2 – 2.5 1 2.5 1 1 1/2
4.5 2 4.5 2 1.5 1
5-5.5 3 5 3 2.5 2
6 4 6.5 4 3.5 3
7 5 7.5 5 4 4
8.5 6 8 6 5.5 5
9 7 15 12 6.5 6
35 - 40 Mt Cameroon* 9 8**
15 12
25 20
Source: author's fieldwork 2007/2009.
* Highly subjective and non-standard nomenclature with likely limited area of usage.
** Producer contests the use of a size 7 nomenclature. Hence to him size 7 is non-existent.
quantity of materials and pot size produced for three different production units at
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different localities. Basically, because pot sizes increase with increasing numerical size
names, then more material is required to produce bigger sizes accordingly. From the
table it is observed that pot sizes named or classified based on a numerical size
nomenclature, which seems standard for different production units for sizes up to size 6
with discrepancy occurring for bigger size names. For example, according to production
unit 3, size 7 is non-existent while production Unit 2 employs non – numerical size
names like size Mt Cameroon (a likely size analogy to the highest mountain in
Cameroon represent biggest size). Comparing the values for material used to pot size
produced for the three production units shows some significant similarities especially for
production units 1 and 2. The quantity of material used is also depended on the nature
and quality of scrap. Thus less material is needed for production in a case where scrap
is pure aluminum and more material needed in case where scrap has lots of impurities.
The use of either more pure scrap or more scrap with impurities that account for the
differences in values for unit 3 compared to units 1 and 2. More so, this may have to do
with the source of the scrap. A producer may be acquiring scrap from a source rich in
only pure scrap such as companies dealing with aluminum services (like fixing of door
and window frame). A common source of impure scrap is when a producer obtains
scrap from MWS arisings in which case there may be a mixture of material types.
5.6 Marketing for Aluminum recycling in Cameroon
The market for recycled aluminum products (in this case household cooking pots) is
mostly that between the manufacturers (or producers) and nearby communities.
Manufacturers supply their products through one of the following ways:
Direct supply to individuals by a prior arrangement, direct contact and personal
negotiation especially at production unit.
Supply to retailers in local communities and markets.
Sales in shops that may be owned by manufacturers.
There is a high demand for aluminum recycled products. Most households used
wooden fire-places or saw-dust cookers for cooking (see Tangang, 2008 for details) and
the recycled aluminum pots are quite suited for such use. Supply may be in response to
a particular demand. For example, pot sizes greater than size 12 are only demanded by
services such as kitchen services in student colleges. Despite the fact that there may
be stocking of products, there is a less likelihood of producers suffering any loss from
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business.
5.6.1 Socio - Economic Analysis of production of cooking pots
For recycling of aluminum in Cameroon by small private schemes to be economically
meaningful, the sales of recycled based products should outweigh production costs for
each production unit. Different costs are incurred by buyers of scrap and these costs
include:
Costs in direct purchase of scrap from generator or persons involved in pick-ups.
Costs of hiring an individual assistant in the field to reduced purchased scrap
with a hammer and subsequent conveyance to a central location for onward
transportation to processing unit.
Transportation costs.
The main costs incurred by the producer of the recycled based products (pots in this
case) include:
Cost of setting up processing unit (which is a basic initial cost). Once set up, this
cost is covered over a period of production.
Energy costs. Energy in this case may be charcoal, wood, and electrical energy.
Maintenance cost.
Transport costs in transporting finished goods to market.
In assessing the profitability of this small scale industry, one is bound to make some
assumptions in estimating values for costs. This is because the prices for the production
devices as well as products are not fixed. In this thesis, we present (as seen below) a
hypothetical economic analysis of the recycling venture.
Production cost
Setting up production plant $140.00
Purchase of scrap (100kg) and transportation $100.00
Transportation of products to market $ 10.00
Labor cost to workers (not greater than 2) $ 15.00
Fuel (wood / charcoal) or Energy (electricity) $ 10.00
Total $275.00
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In the above description gives averages of cost since costs vary depending on certain
factors. The cost of setting up a production plant depends on the availability of devices
that are used to drive the operations and whether such devices are obtained as new or
used products. More so, costs in obtaining some devices may be waived given they can
be easily gotten from small vehicle or other engine repair stores. Also in the purchase of
scrap the price paid depends on the pureness or quality of it based on intended use.
Trimmings from industries that make use of aluminum sheets or so but which do not re-
melt aluminum are considered pure and of high quality with mean price of $1.35 / kg.
Other scraps like parts of those from automotive sector are equally priced higher than
those from pick-ups by children (which are bought at an average price of $0.80 / kg).
The cost of transportation of scrap to production plant depends on the distance and the
nature of road network. For example for a distance of about 20km, with good road
conditions, to transport 50kg of scrap would cost about $1.90. Labor cost does vary
given that assisting workers may not comprise permanent staff. They may be contracted
on days that there is a task to do. And most often for a plant that produces about 10
pots a day, there may be only one assistant to the owner of the plant. The energy
required to re-melt the scrap may be supplied by burning of wood or charcoal or with the
use of electric current. Using wood or charcoal is far less cheap than electricity. On the
other hand using the former is far more time consuming than the latter.
Sales
In the above hypothetical case, we make use of 100kg of aluminum, which can be used
to produce 40 Size 2 pots (based on values from Table 5.2). Thus the sales for these
pots based on Table 5.2 will be $193.37. The sales of “macocot” pots may vary
depending on particular market to which they are sold. The price variations are,
however, not large compared to those at which scrap is purchased. More so, if
producers sell directly to the market or to households, the prices may be a little lower. In
cases where the sale is done to retailers, then the prices are reduced by about $0.70.
Using the hypothetical analysis above to make an analysis of the sustenance of the
recycling venture, it becomes obvious that the business can be quite profitable and self-
supporting. If there is a steady production, say from 100kg scrap every month, then one
expects a yearly generated income of about $3,000.00. Given production unit is fixed
capital, then the venture is quite profitable.
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5.7 Factors that Impact on Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon
Several factors impact on the recycling of aluminum for manufacture of especially
cooking pots in Cameroon. These factors may either be socio-economic or having to do
with the working environment of the recyclers. The socio-economic factors have to do
with the market, public perception and participation in the recycling process. The first
and major problem with very a direct impact on the recycling aluminum in Cameroon is
the availability of aluminum scrap. The industry can only produce the recycled-based
products only if the scrap is available in required or economic quantities. In the past 2
decades, there has been a growing market for aluminum scrap in Ghana and China.
Thus significant quantities of scrap are being sold to buyers from these countries or to
agents who have markets in these countries.
Table 13 Average market prices for different pots sizes produced
from scrap aluminum in Cameroon.
Size Price (CFA Franc) Price (US Dollar)*
1 2,000 3.90
2 2,500 4.83
3 3,000 5.80
4 4,000 7.73
5 4,500 8.70
6 5,500 10.64
7 6,000 11.60
*Exchange rate considered at 1$ = 517, 15 CFA Franc and rounded
off to 2 decimal places. Source: author‟s fieldwork 2007/09
Energy is another concern to worry about in the recycling of aluminum scrap in
Cameroon. Recyclers who depend on wood or charcoal face serious problems of
shortages during the rainy season. During the rainy season, the demand for these two
commodities – wood and charcoal – is generally high especially by households who
make use of them. The electricity supply in Cameroon in the last decade has been
characterized by numerous unpredictable interruptions. Such interruptions in electricity
supply have severe negative impacts for processing plants whose air generation system
is driven by electric current. Some systems are constructed in a way that they can be
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run mechanically as well as by electric current. From a technical perspective, molding
can be a complicated process that requires a lot of caution. When poorly done, the pot
form is distorted in shape upon hardening. Hence it has to be re-melted and a new mold
has to be built again. This can be time consuming and thus affects the process. In the
course of pouring liquid aluminum into molds, maximum caution is also required. At
such high temperatures as is required to melt aluminum, contact with the liquid and the
human body can result in severe burns. Given that the recycling unit is usually owned
by an individual with one to three assistants, ill health can affect production especially
when this has to do with the main technical person.
The business has a very good market, as there is the constant and, and recently,
growing need for pots and other utensils by the growing population who cannot afford to
go to shops for those items. The general public view is that the macocot pots are
preferable for use on wooden fire cookers than the usually imported lighter aluminum
pots. Because of the thickness and hardness of the posts, they resist scratch effects
from the use of metal sponge unlike the lighter ones. Thus the some properties of the
products alongside the growing market give extra motivation for both producer and
buyer. Transport facilities have a significant impact on recycling of aluminum by this
small sector. Generally, most of aluminum is bought from villages in the outskirts of
towns and cities. In some cases, road networks and conditions are poor especially in
the rainy season. Some road networks have limited number of vehicles plying them.
Hence transporting scrap from areas where they are bought to production unit may
experience some delay in time.
The waste generated in the process may be a problem that is not different from the
basic waste problem in the country. However, not much waste is generated from the
process. Waste include: soil that was used to build mould; ash from the burning of wood
and charcoal; impurities that settle on the surface of the melted liquid aluminum and
broken wooden boxes. The waste in this case is not generally harmful. The soil is
usually scattered around the surrounding or used to fill some depressions from where
they were initially gotten; the wood thrown into the fire, and the impurities discard with
other household wastes. In the re-melting process, there may be a likelihood of gaseous
emission given the aluminum is generally gotten from varied sources and have adherent
substances to it. This, however, is an under looked aspects given the lack of evidence
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for the case.
Safety aspects are most often neglected in the recycling process. Not much in terms of
safety measures is integrated in the construction of the production units. Given that
these units are generally small extensions or attachments to household kitchens, the
working environment is usually not quite spacious. The heating chamber is in the open
and the re-melting container is equally left open. These pose some danger with respect
to body contact. The workers rarely put on safety boots and clothes. In pouring liquid
aluminum into the molds, there could be the danger of spill-over which can be fatal to
the skin. Since in most cases these workshops are open air structures or partly covered
structures, it is common to find children as well as enthusiastic adults hanging around
them. The poor safety measures place these individuals at some risk.
5.8 Strategy for Enhancing Aluminum Recycling in Cameroon
The recycling of aluminum especially for the production of “macocot” pots has been
quite a successful venture in Cameroon for over two decades. Despite this relative
success, the endeavor still faces some problems as highlighted in the earlier sections of
this study. Any attempt to design strategies to improve on the performance of this
venture would have to draw from the following:
Municipal and household solid waste management practices
Public perceptions and willingness to participate in the recycling venture
Market factors
Absence of legal and other administrative guidelines
Continuous education
MSW in Cameroon is generally bound for landfill where they may be burnt or buried.
With just general collection containers for commingled wastes, and the lack of MRF,
scrap recovery may not be effective in urban areas with such collection facilities. On the
other, in smaller communities, individual households manage their wastes. And because
volume generated can be relatively small, picking out aluminum scrap can be fairly
easy. This is one of the reasons why recyclers go more to these communities to
purchase scrap. Thus these areas should be important targets for raw materials.
Public perceptions and participation can be very instrumental in designing of better
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strategies for the success of scrap aluminum recycling. In small communities, mainly
children pick up the scraps and sold to the recyclers or their agents. Sales are usually
done in a day or a few hours in a day. The children are motivated by the small income
they derive from it. Not all parents encourage and welcome the idea of children doing
this. In urban areas, picking up scraps from dumps can be seen as degrading. If people
could be sensitized on the benefits of recycling, their perceptions may be influenced and
participation may be high.
Some market and other institutional factors do impact on the production of “macocots”
from recycled aluminum. The sales of the “macocots” is generally encouraging, hence
the market in itself is a motivation for recycling. There are however, no legal guidelines
covering such production. Thus while at the benefit of the recyclers, the absence of
such institutional factors may be detrimental to government as well as the public. As a
business, such a venture would have to be taxable, which is not the case. On the hand,
if they were to be registered, they may benefit from some form of government
assistance. Vehicle repair garages can comprise a major supply source of scrap. Good
business communication between owners of such units and recyclers can be beneficial
in maximizing recovery. Appropriate knowledge on which scrap to collect is quite
necessary. A common practice in this case is apprentice smuggling these scraps to sell
for personal benefits. And when owners of repair garages discover this, they may take
rash decision like not wanting to sell them to recyclers considering they encourage the
apprentice to steal. But is coordinated well, both garage owner and recycler stand in a
position to benefit. For any comprehensive socio-economic venture of this nature,
institutional factors have to be in existence and be applicable.
With continuous public education on the need to recycle common items of the waste
stream like aluminum and plastics, more community participation may be rallied. More
so, more of aluminum could be recovered for urban households which would have
normally been destined for disposal. Continuous public education is highly needed in
Cameroon in the area of enhancing recovery, reuse and recycling of items in waste
stream. Figure 5.6 presents a schematic picture of the strategies that can be used to
enhance recycling of aluminum by the small scale private schemes. The contributions of
each the four basic groups involved are also presented. From figure 5.6 it can be seen
that the government, public and recyclers of scrap aluminum stand to benefit from their
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various contribution to the recycling process. The government on its part needs to
formulate adaptive policies and guideline along interesting incentives that would not
only encourage this sector but also stimulate public involvement and participation. The
public in response has to participate in the recycling process through separation /
recovery of scrap and onward sales of these to recyclers or producers of recycled-
based products. The public again constitutes an important link in this model because
they in turn buy the recycled based products.
Figure 20 Schematic representation of strategies to enhance recycling of aluminum
by small-scale private schemes in Cameroon (source: author‟s analysis)
The recyclers or producers have the responsibility to adhere to government policies and
guidelines. They also have the right to benefit from government incentives and other
Recyclers /
Industry
Policies/Guidelines, Economic
incentives,
Support initiatives for training and
infrastructure
Government /
Municipal Authorities
Purchase / sale of
recycled products
Scrap
Recovery
Sale/purchase
of scrap
Public
Revenues: Tax,
other market
charges
Education,
Participation:
individual or group
Market
Recycle
products
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forms of support. However, consequent to their business they are expected to pay some
form of tax to the government. The producers furnish the markets with finished products
which the market then sells to the public. Producers are thus expected to ensure quality
and constancy of supply at reasonable prices. The market too would have to operate
within the economic frame work of the government and as it maximizes profit, it would
be expected to generate income for the government through taxed and other market
charges.
5.9 Discussion
Recycling, being a very appropriate and economic approach to MSWM may only be
justifiable when some pros and cons are balanced out. Experiences in recycling
programs for different communities or regions (whatever the scale) show some
similarities but in reality may differ greatly in practice due to conditions of operation and
public response to the programs. Recycling programs are generally characterized by a
combination of different factors, which boils down to design, cost and implementation.
Considering recycling is not only an environmentally friendly approach of MSWM, but is
also an economic undertaking, effort must be geared at keeping productivity and cost-
effectiveness in the positive. According to Moore (1993), this can be done by evaluating
the entire program to determine whether the material to be recycled by a community will
have a market and if they can be collected and processed in a cost effective way.
Program design and operational factors are quite essential. Recycling of aluminum,
although presenting enormous opportunities for economic and ecological benefits is
plagued by several challenges. Getting communities or the general public involved in
recycling can be a problem for recycling. Thus in a recycling program focus should not
only be on individual materials to be collected but also on community participation
strengthened through continuous education. Through continuous education,
communities are drilled on parameters for separation of recyclables. This enhances
material quality and is a cost effective measure to the recycling program.
In most of the develop countries, recycling continues to be a highly socio-economically
and ecologically motivated endeavor due to the growing institutional arrangements that
go along with it. Several framework regulations and guidelines are being formulated by
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countries at both regional and national levels which do not only impose specifications as
to collection, processing and marketing of recyclables, but also provide economic
motivations or incentives for recycling. In comparison to the long and well established
recycling programs in developed countries, the case for developing countries like
Cameroon, with a gleam of hope, at least for some recyclables, stands at the
crossroads to answering the trumpet call to action. The big problem to be faced by any
attempts to implementing recycling for any materials at end-use point is compounded by
the significant absence of MSWM programs. Given that most often people are left to
manage their waste in their own way, the notion of coordinated management is lacking
and would of course require time to inculcate this into people.
The present experience on aluminum recycling by small scale privately owned
industries in Cameroon, shows it is has been so far economically rewarding to recycle
aluminum scrap especially for production of household consumer products. Everything
being equal the cost of producing “macocot” pots from recycled aluminum scraps is
significantly lower than the sales from them. From the hypothetical case earlier cited,
production cost for 100kg of scrap (minus cost of building production unit) could be
about $135.00 and the sales of pots (say Size 2 pots) made from this lot could be about
$190.00 thus making a positive balance of $55.00. It is worth noting that production is
not on a daily basis. It may range from 2 – 6 times a month. Thus profits of margins
higher than this are not uncommon. It is common to find producers involved in some
other extra income activity such as farming. And for a country like Cameroon where a
good number of workers in some private businesses earn less than $90.00 a month,
then income from recycling should be motivating to sustain the business. In cases
where pots are sold to retailers, then the drop in price affects producer‟s income. Hence
one would imagine that an average drop in price of $0.67 per pot in the above example
would bring down profit in the above case to $27.00. This profit drop, however, is offset
by the fact that the producer does not pay transportation costs to market. Hence profit
may rise up to $37.00.
There is no doubt that given the socio-cultural interactions in Cameroon, rallying the
public behind the move to recycle can be a not too difficult task. But the degree to which
this can be effectively done or sustained needs to be investigated. The lack of
established and guiding institutional structures and regulations in this business has
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been shown here to have advantages and disadvantages to both producers and
government. Because producers think if such structures are introduced the sector
would collapse, any attempt by government to introduce such structures should take
strive to protect the interest of the producers as much as possible
5.10. Conclusion and Recommendations
5.10.1 Conclusion
In Cameroon, small-scale private schemes for the recycling of aluminum scrap for the
production of especially household cooking utensils represent a small yet significant
industry with enormous socio-economic and ecological benefits. Their activities do not
only generate income to those involved but also serve as a means to sustainable
MSWM. Although this sector does not employ many people, lots of people may benefit
from it through their sale of scrap to producers. Despite its success, the sector suffers
from: market competition with brokers who export scrap to other countries as Ghana
and China; energy supplies during the rainy season in cases where heating for melting
is by the use of wood and charcoal; transport problems during remote communities
especially during rainy season; and market competition with similar products from
neighboring Nigeria. Getting the public involved in recycling through the media and
community social groups; government involvement in the activities of this sector through
institutional arrangements (which protects the interest of recyclers); and the upgrading
of facilities in production plants constitute approaches to enhance sustenance of the
sector.
5.10.2 Recommendations
This study cannot be described as being exhaustive on the issue under consideration
therein. While it has addressed some crucial aspects of the main thesis, several areas
are still open for research to fully understand the problem of MSWM and strategies to
recover and recycle materials from waste as well as the relation between this and
poverty alleviation. With direct relevance and to complement this present study, further
work is required to:
Determine the actual activity of small scale private schemes for recycling of
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aluminum in which case daily inputs (material and financial) and daily outputs
(material and financial) have to be determined. This can be achieved through
monitoring the activities of this sector over time since no records are kept by
producers.
Make an in-depth socioeconomic analysis of this sector using appropriate
methods such as willingness to Pay (participate) in such programs. Hence the
effect of the presence or absence of legislative and other institutional structures
need to be assessed.
Carry out a detailed assessment of the technological aspects involved in the
recycling of aluminum scrap so as to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in
production under safe working conditions.
Research on the following issues below may be of significant importance, in line with
the present study, in understanding and designing solution and approaches to MSWM in
Cameron:
Detail studies on characterization of MSW in Cameroon as this will form a sound
basis for informed decision making on endeavors to manage waste.
Investigation on the effectiveness of existing administrative and legal structures
in MSWM in Cameroon as well as their significance in any attempt to conceive a
program for MSWM.
Another important recommendation of this study in relation to the problem discussed
therein is the need for academic institutions to play significant roles as leaders in
research on such problems. The University of Buea runs a Department of Geology and
Environmental Science and this department should play an active role in generating
data as well as investigating into such areas as MSWM. This may be difficult given their
tight budget. But they can still go that little mile in which case students take on such
issues of direct importance to community.
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Chapter Six
Collective collaboration and/or adaptive innovation? An
empirical study of institutional efforts and constraints of
recycling and material recovery of MSW in Cameroon
Chapter Abstract
In this chapter, an assessment of efforts and constraints to implementing comprehensive recycling
and recovery schemes in Cameroon. Literature review, field surveys, interviews and questionnaires
were used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of applying collective collaboration or adaptive
innovation for establishing comprehensive recycling and recovery schemes in Cameroon as aspects
of broader MSWM. Results show that there are existing practices on which comprehensive recycling
and recovery can be built upon that would be beneficial to both councils and engaged schemes –
mostly SMEs. An inventory of plastic types for common items in shops with plastic packaging show
that most fall within the plastic type class 1 and 2 which are easily recyclable. The challenges to be
faced and the way forward to implementing any broad scale recovery and recycling are presented.
Should councils decide to maintain their existing MSWM schemes, then collective collaboration in
which all stakeholders are involved and actively participating would be beneficial. On the other hand,
if they wish to expand schemes are create new schemes, and then adaptive innovation would be
highly recommended. In the absence of specific policies and legislation on recycling and recovery,
SMEs still stand a better chance of regulating activities within their sectors as such activities stand to
alleviate poverty and also present ecological benefits.
Keywords: Recycling, recovery, collective collaboration, adaptive innovation, SMEs, Cameroon.
6.1 Introduction
Developing countries continue to face several environmental challenges which at the
moment seem quite difficult to handle given the prevailing atmosphere in which such
challenges prevail. One of such environmental challenges in that of MSWM, which for
many municipalities may be ranked as a major concern yet is still to receive due
consideration. A common reason for lack of such due concern has to do with the fact
that greater emphasis is put on other major concerns as health and agriculture. The
growing piles of wastes due to increasing economic activities and population growth
present huge problems whose management municipalities are falling short of. Unlike in
some cases where it is the urban poor who are mostly deprived of collection facilities, in
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most municipalities in Cameroon were a MSWM scheme is being operated, deprivation
of collection facilities may be due to poor accessibility of residential areas, insufficient
collection devices, and financial constraints. There are of course a smaller group of
persons or households in residential areas of some big cities like Yaounde who pay for
household waste collection by some specialized organization. Given the problems that
may be brought about by poor collection or lack of collection, effective collection tends
to have a greater impact on urban physical environment as well as delivering economic
benefits (Coad, 2003).
While most municipalities are faced with challenges in coping with waste management
or delivering sustainable services, the involvement of Medium/Micro and Small scale
enterprises could be very beneficial. Such a partnership is however not very common in
Cameroon although some exist in bigger cities like Yaounde. Some of the significance
of integrating SMEs in MSWM in developing countries is stated in the Cairo declaration
of principles for SMEs involvement in MSWM service delivery (based on the UMP/SDC
collaborative program on MSWM in low-income countries in 1996). Integrating SMEs
into existing MSWM schemes would not only strengthen and enhance operations but
may also result into the expansion of such schemes so that aspects like recovery and
recycling can become incorporated. Any such integration, however, has got to be
sustainable. The fact that SMEs may render more efficient services may attract greater
investments there ensuring some form of economic sustainability.
6.2 Objectives and method
The general objective of this chapter is to present a critical analysis of existing MSWM
schemes in Cameroon with respect to sustainability and the integration of recycling and
recovery as aspect of such schemes. Specifically, an attempt is made to in this chapter
to elucidate on the following questions:
How effective have the present schemes been in meeting their desired goals as
well as meeting some sustainability criteria
What are the opportunities that exist to allow the introduction or expansion of
recycling and material recovery programs in existing MSWM schemes in
Cameroon?
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In order to attain the objectives of this chapter, one approach was by making deductive
inferences based on the findings of the previous chapters have been made. In addition,
both telephone and direct verbal interviews were conducted with personnel of MSWM
schemes in Cameroon as well as sectors such as EEE repairs units and the general
public that have some connections with waste. To assess the possibility of recycling for
items such as plastic bottles and containers, identification of the different types was
done based on the presence or absence of inscriptions on the item in question. Such
inscriptions are always seen on the surface of items or inserted on any written material
adhered to the items. Such inscriptions may be numbers or signs. And because they
provide a pointer to the relative to, say, recycle an item, an inventory of them is quite
vital in assessing the plausibility of introducing recycling within an existing MSWM
scheme. Relevant literature that highlights on similar studies in different localities were
consulted so as to draw comparisons to this study and to add profundity to the
discussion.
6.3 Performance and effectiveness of present schemes
6.3.1 Case of the Public
In assessing the performance and effectiveness of existing MSWM schemes in
Cameroon, the following have been considered: practices by both public and
administration, approval ratings of schemes by public, perceptions of and attitudes
toward waste management issues, and stakeholder involvement. The basic practices
indulged in by public with respect to MSWM in Cameroon have to do with generation,
storage and disposal. Transportation may not be significant in cases where households
have yard disposal facilities or dispose of their waste in some nearby facility. The type
and volume of waste generated per household depends on factors such as socio-
economic status, household size and location but similarities in generation patterns can
be observed over wider areas – with a general high amount of organics. Household
waste storage devices vary too and depend on the availability of such device. A survey
of some households in both the Limbe and Buea (fig 6.1 and 6.2) municipalities show
that most residents in store waste in tin containers and old plastic buckets (case of
Limbe). In a more detailed survey of the various waste storage devices in Buea
municipality in which three different groups (students, households and businesses) are
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considered, the following trends are observed: for households, 61.9% of respondents
make use of either basket/carton or plastic bucket/tin container to store their waste. For
students, 70% of respondents make use of a plastic bag to store waste. For businesses,
there is the entire use of either basket/carton or plastic bucket/tin container.
Figure 21 Common household waste storage devices in Limbe municipality (source:
author and Nkemnkeng, 2007)
The high use of tin containers and old buckets have to do mainly with the fact that they
can last over time and can accommodate a greater amount of waste as well as
sustaining the weight.. Hence users are not regularly faced with the problem of getting
new storage devices. Among the student community however, the use of plastic bags is
due to convenience. Because most students placed their waste storage devices along
the balcony, a closed plastic bag is more presentable than an old plastic bucket or metal
container. More so, given the relatively smaller quantities of waste generated, short
storage time and likely presence of some disposal facility in the vicinity of most student
residences, disposal is very regular hence plastic bags serve a better role in this case.
Since most businesses use cartons regularly, the cartons once emptied of its contents
are usually used to store waste before disposal. Although cartons are not durable in
such cases, the fact that they are readily available means that regularity of use is
ensured. Some businesses also generate waste with greater weights implying the use
of plastic buckets / tin containers is also valuable for this sector. For a waste
Basket/Carton;
68
Old bucket; 75Plastic bags; 32
Tin/Can; 91
Basket/Carton Old bucket Plastic bags Tin/Can
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management scheme to be sustainable, businesses (which generate greater waste
compared to households) are supposed to be served with bigger containers or skips.
Thus there is supposed to be special arrangements between them and the council.
The storage time of waste within households differ for both municipalities as well as for
the different groups. In Limbe, storage time for those living along secondary collection
routes or served with collection facilities is generally lower than those without such
facilities. In the later case it may be more than three days. In Buea, storage times are
longer for businesses (five days and more) and households (three days and more) than
student residents (two days and less). The distance covered to reach secondary
collection facilities within municipalities can be quite great especially for areas not well
served with such facilities. This distance is, however, relatively shorter for Limbe than
Buea where residents may need to cover up to 300m and even more. The implication of
such storage time and distance to collection facilities are: 1. amount waste generation
outweighs the carrying capacity of storage devices; 2. due to the reason in 1, there is
the eventual likelihood to dispose of waste in a way to cope with generation and storage
hence any possible means of disposal is employed; 3. the long distances to collection
facilities discourage primary transportation of waste to such facilities.
A survey to ascertain public awareness on MSWM practices by the council on issues
such as frequency of collection shows that the public lacks informed knowledge on such
issues. For example, with a defined collection program, it implies public has to be aware
of such days within the week or month. Given responses on frequency of collection vary
across respondents, it implies they rather guess than know the actual frequency of
collection by council or its contracted agents. The public recognize the fact that the
municipal councils are giving some attention to the MSW problem especially from the
mere fact that they distribute public collection facilities and transport and dispose of
MSW. Yet in Buea, unlike Limbe which has long had a system in operation, over 80% of
respondents are the least satisfied with the council operations.
6.3.2 Case of Council and Contracted Agents
Waste management in Cameroon at the municipal level is the responsibility of the
municipal council. The council may solely engage in this activity or contract other
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agents. Other administrative units like the Divisional and Sub-divisional office may from
time to time engage in activities relating to waste management. A typical example of
such activities is the “keep the community clean” campaign, which is a day set aside
within the month during which all businesses are closed till mid-day and the entire public
engages in community cleaning. Such activities are intended to clear litter out of sight.
Litter along streets, parks and other public places are collected and most often burned
in the open, blocked stream and other smaller water ways that run through communities
are cleared-up. This hygiene and sanitation event somehow reduces the burden of the
municipal council in managing waste although it has its own setbacks. For example, one
set back of such an activity is that little health and safety considerations especially for
school and college students during such activities.
MSWM in Limbe, which was initially the sole responsibility of the council but was later
contracted to HYSACAM. Thus the latter is thus expected to operate in the terms of the
contract it has with the former. HYSACAM has been doing a great job in handling MSW
within the Limbe municipality – that is the collection and final disposal of MSW. With
increasing generation rates over the last few years, the company has been faced with
the difficulty of meeting set targets with minimum infrastructure. Both HYSACAM and
the Limbe City council have been working hard to meet their desired objective as stated
in the waste management plan for the city – i.e. to provide a clean and less polluted
environment for its community. In the last two decades the council has been meeting to
this challenge as evidence by the fact that prior to 2000 that city was always among the
top 5 cleanest towns in Cameroon. The second aspect of the objective of providing a
less polluted environment for the city presents greater challenges.
The MSWM scheme operated by the in Buea municipal council is quite on a far smaller
scale with respect to operations and logistics to that of Limbe but with similar objectives.
The characteristics of the MSWM systems for the two municipalities are presented in
Table 6.1. The MWSM system of Limbe is relatively advanced and broader than that of
Buea. Common to the two just like for other systems is the fact that he council is
responsible for managing the MSW within the confines of its municipality.
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Table 14 Characteristics of MSWM systems for Limbe and Buea Municipalities
Attribute Limbe Municipality Buea Municipality
Service provider -Initially urban council now by
contracted agent HYSACAM.
Sole responsibility of municipal
council.l
Primary waste storage
- Households use mainly plastic /
metal buckets or containers.
- Where disposal facility is available
there is no storage.
- Households use mainly plastic /
metal buckets or containers.
- Student residents use mainly
plastic bags.
- Where disposal facility is available
there is no storage.
Primary transport
-Mainly by children to secondary
storage (collection) facility or some
disposal site.
- Drop-in to collection trucks passing
around residential areas.
Mainly by children to secondary
storage (collection) facility or some
disposal site.
Secondary waste
Collection / storage
Public skips and containers provided
by HYSACAM.
- Commingled collection.
A few skips at locations with high
commercial activities.
- Commingled collection.
Secondary transport
Specialized vehicles for transporting
skips and emptying of containers for
onward final disposal.
Specialized vehicle for transporting
skips to be emptied at final disposal
site.
Disposal
- Three abandoned sites.
- One functional site on an undercut
slope, with no control for leachates.
- Waste compacted approximately
once in two months.
- Pit disposal at open site not dis-
tant from residential areas.
- No compaction, but burning of
waste to reduce volume.
Stakeholder involvement
- MSWM plan prepared in consulta-
tion with quarter heads, councilors,
contracted agents and government.
MSWM plan mainly prepared by
council with some form of govern-
ment intervention
Desired goals Keep municipality clean and reduce
pollution by waste.
Keep municipality clean and reduce
pollution by waste.
Operations Free collection and disposal of
MSW.
Free collection and disposal MSW.
(Source: Author's analysis)
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6.4 Recycling and Recovery
6.4.1 Requirements for recycling and recovery
There are several requirements to be met to enable either a recycling or recovery
program start-off or be maintained. One of such requirements is the development of
indicators. Indications tend to reduce complexities of systems to a smaller set of
observations which serve to inform our decision and direct our actions (Bossel, 1999).
There is no clear scientific agreement which indicators serve best to evaluate say a
recycling system. Eik, 2001 identifies three indicators for use in evaluating recycling
systems and they include: generally applicable indicators, system specific indicators
and company specific indicators. While the concept of indicators remains quite scientific
in its application, there are other requirements for recycling or recovery of MSWM,
which once fulfilled in whole or part, may enhance a system as well as initiate the kick-
off of a new program. Such requirements include:
availability of recyclables: because some materials may entail great cost to
recycle in which case cost to recycle may outweigh profit from sales of recycled-
based products, identification of materials that can be recycled at profit margins
is very crucial in a recycling program.
Identification of a market(s) for recycled-based products: there are cases where
competition between recycled-based products and products from virgin materials
is stiff. Such competition may be that of price, quality etc. Thus for recycling to be
profitable, identification for suitable markets for recycle-based products is very
important.
Identification of different business or production links: a recycling venture may be
carried out in a single locality as well as may involve a chain of different
companies or businesses in different localities and countries. Identification of
such connections is necessary to for any recycling scheme.
Possession of technological know-how to recycle or the existence of a clear plan
on how to acquire such technology
The willingness of the public at large to greatly participate in the recycling venture
or to pay for services as the case may be.
The existence of policy, economic and other regulatory framework arrangements
with regards to recycling
Development of a recycling program that takes into consideration the above
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mentioned requirements. Such a program of course needs to be revised with
time.
In cases with developed framework for recycling and recovery, several other
specifications may apply as to either the proportion of materials to be either recycled or
recover as well as the composition of resultant recycled materials. Thus in the EU
WEEE Directive (2003a) for example, targets are set for recovery (70 – 80% average
weight of appliance) and reuse/recycling (for component, material and substances 50 –
75%) depending on the class of WEEE. Such targets of course may be difficult to
achieve for some material components (such as plastics from WEEE) with state-of-the-
art technology. According to Riess et al., (2000) a greater proportion of plastics in
WEEE contains brominated flame retardants (BFR) and hence recycling for plastics
from such sources is limited to manually sorted polymers free of BFR (Hornberger,
2002).
6.4.2 Assessment of recycling and recovery in Cameroon
Although still at a very low level of operation, recycling of some components of MSW
has been going on in Cameroon. Recovery on the other hand is an inevitable aspect of
MSWM practice as people would always find some item of use in waste that may not be
of use to others. However, the scale of the recovery may vary from individuals
recovering items from waste, to scavenging at waste disposal facilities and to large
scale operations at material recovery facilities. One of the most comprehensive
recycling schemes in Cameroon is that of CIPRE (Centre Internationale de Promotion
de la Récupération) that recycles plastics in Yaounde. CIPRE was created in 1996 as
an NGO under law N° 090/053 of the 19th December 1990 under Liberty of
Associations. The organization operates on a broad scale mainly in the cities of
Yaounde and Douala. The main objectives of the organization as stated in their website
include:
Promote an integrated, participative, and economic management of urban
wastes in general, and plastic wastes in particular through recycling so as to
effectively contribute toward the fight against urban environmental pollution and
poverty reduction.
Encourage and facilitate the development of urban agriculture for the production
of qualitative and quantitative foodstuff, in the perspective of better contributing
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toward the reduction of the quantity of household garbage and, urban food
security. This type of agriculture respects urban environment while being
economically profitable
Assure effective communication in view of permitting the exchange of information
and experience, notably the management of urban wastes for a durable
development.
CIPRE has the following areas of intervention: protection of the environment through
recovery and recycling of MSW; enhancement of environmental education and gender
issues through education and social promotion activities; promoting MSW research
through student training and placements (collaboration with universities and other
research institutions); economic development through for example, the recycling of
MSW and marketing of recycled-based products; promoting environmental
communication through seminars and publication of periodicals. The organization has
the following partners: 10 technical partners; five financial partners including the Dutch
organization CORDAID (Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid),
German Development Service DED, The Forum II project of the EU-Cameroon
Cooperation, The French Cooperation in Cameroon and The US Embassy in
Cameroon; seven institutional partners including the Yaounde VI council and sub-
divisional councils of Douala V; and is partner to a bigger Network group of
organizations in Cameroon.
According to Tchuente et al., (2000), CIPRE had a set goal to collect 380 tones of
plastic waste monthly in Yaounde, recycle 80%, repair 2% and redirect 18% as waste to
MSW stream. This set target is, however, about 1% of the monthly generated MSW for
the city. Thus strategies and approaches to enhance collection and set higher targets
are highly needed. The low target quantity for repair is likely based on the fact that at
end of use stage most plastics devices may be damaged beyond repair and hence
reprocessing becomes a better option. CIPRE reports in 2002 show around the end of
2001,
There also exist other practices that fall within the realm of recycling and recovery but
not quite comprehensive in scale when compared to conventional recycling schemes. A
typical example is the recycling of aluminum waste for the production of household
cooking pots. This is a typical locally adaptable industrial set-up with commendable
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outcome. This set-up comprises small units that buy waste aluminum as raw material
for the industry from different sources as stated in Chapter 5. Their operations are
barely known to administration but the result of their activities is quite significant to
communities. A major recovery operation going on in Cameroon is that of EEE repair
units. While repairs serve to extend the lifespan of such equipments through repairs,
they also reduce the amount of material going for disposal through the recovery of vital
components from equipments. A very coordinated form of such activities in Cameroon is
that of BETA (Bamenda Electronic Technician Association), which is also a member of
the umbrella association NOWECA (North-West Craft Association) which is subsidized
by two German organizations viz: Bread for the World (BfdW) and German
Development Service (DED). BETA has been providing services for members including
computer training course on downloading and use of manuals for repair works on cell
phones and other EEE. Such opportunities are now making members more efficient in
services being rendered to the wider public. Because these EEE repair units represent
a major link in the product cycle for these equipments in Cameroon, they may also
serve a vital role in recycling and recovery efforts directed towards WEEE
In this research an attempt has been made to identify plastic types for some common
products in use in Cameroon and the result is presented in Table 6.2 below. Different
plastic materials have different potentials for recycling. An identification of plastic type
and the number assigned to such a type serves in some way as pointers to recognition
of: fact that material or item can be recycled (where facilities exist); type of material
product is made of; and compliance with a recognized compliance system. The most
common recycling symbol for plastic is the Mobius loop that comprises three chasing
arrows forming a triangle with each arrow representing an aspect of a successful
recycling program: collection, re-manufacturing/reprocessing into new product and
purchase by consumer. There are several other recycling marks found on products with
some such as the Green Dot (in Germany) representing compliance to a system. From
table 6.2, it is observed that over 62% of the products identified fall with the PETE and
HDPE classes which are easily recycled plastics. Just a few of class 5, 6 and 7 plastics
constitute these 35 products identified. Interestingly to note is the general scarcity of
134
Table 15 Plastic type identification for some common products in use in Cameroon
Product Recycling symbol* Plastic type Country of manufacture
Tangui T PET – 1 Cameroon
Volcanic water T PET – 1 Cameroon
Supermont - - Cameroon
Seme water T PET -1 Cameroon
Tom Milk T PS – 6
Nutri Milk - - -
Camlait MFP – 7 Cameroon
Bridel Milk T Model-depose Cameroon
Dulait yoghourt T PP -5 Cameroon
Mayor vegetable oil T PET – 1 Cameroon
Soya oil non-recyclable PET Italy
Mayonnaise T HDPE
Magarine T PP – 5 Holland
Rosa Elan T PP – 5 Holland
Judida T PP – 5 Tunisia
Tartina chocolate - - -
Mayor (5L) T HDPE – 2 Cameroon
Aloe vera hair oil T PP – 5 Nigeria
Limonade T PET – 1 France
Cola Light T PET France
Vinaigrette T PET – 1 France
Soupline T HDPE – 2 Europe
UB Hair product T PET Nigeria
Kiara T PET Cameroon
Ozone Hair product T HDPE – 2 Nigeria
Multisheen ebony T HDPE – 2 Nigeria
Joy Product T HDPE – 2 Nigeria
G&G T HDPE – 2 Cameroon
135
Body milk (babaria) T PET – 1 Spain
Vanilla T HDPE – 2 England
Mixa C PP France
Vaseline T HDPE South Africa
Nivea T HDPE – 2 EU
Vasylis T HDPE – 2 Senegal
Body white T PP – 5 Cameroon
*T = Mobius loop; C = Green Dot.
Source: author's fieldwork, 2009
class 3 and 4 plastic types (figure 6.2). Given most of the very commonly used plastic
items in Cameroon fall in the first three classes, it is logical that with well defined
programs for collection and established schemes for recycling, recycling may not pose
severe problems with respect to material types.
Figure 22 Plastic type identified for 35 products in common use in Cameroon
(Source: author‟s analysis)
In another survey to assess public willingness to participate in any recycling program if
created shows that in both cases (Limbe and Buea) the public is very willing to
participate (figure 6.3 for Limbe). However, they think they can participate only if they
136
receive a payment to handing recyclables to recyclers. Over 90% of respondents in
Buea indicate willingness to participate in recycling if they are paid for handing
recyclables to recyclers. But the financial arrangements involved in recycling between
Figure 23 Household willingness to participate in recycling in Limbe: (a) willingness
to participate and (b) participation with and without payment.
public and recyclers depend on some other fiscal factors at the level of municipalities
and on the contractual agreements with recyclers. If recycling is not subsidized and if
collections cost tends to be high, then it is obvious the public may have to pay for
recycling services. The notion that participating in a recycling program entails the public
receiving some token for such participation stems from the fact that there exist agents
who buy plastic materials/bottles as well as glass body lotion bottles. Hence people
think for them to engage in returning some components of waste to a recycler it should
be accompanied by a token. It is often important to take into consideration the
socioeconomic determinants that may be vital to establishing such connection between
waste generators and collectors or recyclers. Recovery of items from waste stream is
generally done at the level of household and yard disposal facilities. Commonly
recovered items from household wastes include body lotion bottles, aluminum and other
metals. The generally held view on any form of scavenging at waste sites is that it
presents no stigma neither does it bring any shame to scavengers.
Yes No
Participation without
payment
Participation with a
payment
(a) (b)
137
6.5 The way forward
6.5.1 Challenges
Although the councils and the contracted agents are trying at their best to ensure proper
MSWM, there is also the contention that the present schemes are not operating at
optimum and are not sustainable. For example, field interviews reveal that the set target
for weekly collections is not met implying failure to operate at optimum. The public
thinks that although council is aware of the need to effectively manage MSWM yet they
still do not allocate appropriate resources in operations. The several constrains to
effectively implement recycling and recovery programs in existing MSWM schemes in
Cameroon stems from the operational set-up of such schemes. As long as some key
issues are not addressed in the conception of schemes, the impact of failure to address
or include such key issues constrains any effort to embark on greater recycling and
recovery. Based on the structure and operation of existing MSWM schemes, the
following areas are the likely to constrain any efforts to recycle or recover useful
components from MSW in Cameroon:
i. Stakeholder involvement
Depending on the nature of the scheme, there can be three to four stakeholders i.e.
waste generators – service provider – local government and waste generators – service
provider – local government – support agency. As long as all stakeholders are not
actively involved, chances are high that the role of a given stakeholder within the
scheme becomes missing. Stakeholder involvement and participation also create
avenue for greater private sector groups to exploit opportunities especially as service
providers. There are many environmental organizations in Cameroon yet many are still
to take on MSWM as part of the agenda, at least in practice.
ii. Types of arrangements between stakeholders
In an interview with a staff of HYSACAM, it was found out that the sole choice of
collection and disposal were the ultimate choices for the company given that is the basic
provision of their contract with the council. Thus it becomes out of concern for the
company to worry over any concerns as recycling. It is apparent the council is yet to
envisage engagement with other groups or organizations to get them involved in
MSWM. Due to the fact that finance may be a limiting factor, it is obvious that the
138
concern of HYSACAM would be limited only to commercially active areas or services
not available to poor remote areas. Therefore the creation of avenues to get other
groups involved may lead to wider coverage of schemes. The creation of channels or
avenues which may lead to access to support for service providers (through
international agencies / organizations, NGOs, other contract partners and local elites /
influential citizens) is essential in delivering sustainable schemes. The fact that the local
council is responsible for managing waste generated within the confines of the
municipality may constrain effort to recycle and recover. In Cameroon, the local councils
are expected to manage their waste based on their budget (generated mainly through
taxes) and other support from government or international organizations like the French
Cooperation. In this set up, councils are not allowed to directly charge the public for
waste services rendered. And with the absence of other groups that can foster separate
collection of particular items or components from waste, then recycling and recovery
becomes a difficult undertaking.
iii. Training, monitoring and enforcement
Technical expertise is a major problem in MSWM in Cameroon. As long as councils and
other governmental or private partners involved fail to make provision for regular
training to both staff of management schemes or those of other groups interesting in
embarking on MSWM the problem of technical expertise looms. Government or council
must have the capacity to regulate and control the activities of all groups involved in
delivering MSW services specifically in the areas of environmental protection, service
standards and enforcing agreements. Thus structures ought to be put in place that
carter for issues like illegal dumping or burning of waste, the delivery of standard
services which comply with terms of agreements while avoiding fraud, and the
avoidance of corruption in transactions.
iv. Developing awareness and information sharing
In a field survey of the public in Buea, Limbe and Kumba municipalities on whether they
have media from where they get information on issues like recycling, recovery and
sustainable MSWM, almost all respondents (over 98%) stated there are no such media.
Without such awareness and the fact that there are channels through which such
awareness is reinforced in the public, getting public participation in any move to
recycling and recover in a comprehensive manner can be difficult. The radio still
139
remains a widely used medium of communication hence it stands to play a big role in
developing awareness. Also TV is fast becoming popular and thus has a significant
audience and can therefore be a good medium for creating awareness. Municipal
councils vis-a-vis research / academic institutions need to create some avenues (such
as workshops, seminars, exchange of formal correspondences) for which they can
share vital information with benefits to recycling and recovery.
v. Economic and financial security
Most SMEs and other private sectors in Cameroon generally face economic and
financial problems. Such problems obviously get to constrain their operations as well as
ability to expand operations. Due to factors such as lack of information, these groups
may not be in any position to exploit possible economic and financial benefits like
subsidies, credits and donations from the government and other organizations and/or
agencies.
vi. Infrastructure
The constraint placed by poor infrastructure on efforts to recycle may be compounded
by both the kind of arrangements that exist between stakeholders and the economic
and/or financial security. For example, one of the reasons why specialized collection
does not seem important is the fact that there are limited financial resources to acquire
bins for such purpose.
vii. Lack of policies and regulations for recycling and recovery
By 2003, Cameroon had no comprehensive policies or regulatory framework to enhance
recycling and recovery (Achankeng, 2004) and such is still the case today.
6.5.2 Proposals for way forward
From the foregoing reporting or analyses in this present chapter, it is clear that MSWM
in Cameroon has two major approaches for which those involved may want to apply for
sustainable MSWM. These two approaches may either be applied separately or
together depending on the given context of operation. The approaches are: 1. Collective
collaboration and 2. Adaptive innovation.
140
The first approach, collective collaboration is very vital if councils have to keep up with
existing MSWM schemes which are directed towards cleaner environments through the
collection and disposal of MSW. Should the basic argument that wanton disposal of
MSW and lack of poor collection, transportation and disposal facilities make waste an
environmental/health problem then efforts to get rid of waste should be likewise
encouraged. In such a case, greater stakeholder participation is very crucial. Getting
communities, Community-based Organizations (CBOs), NGOs as well as private
partners involved alongside the council and government becomes important. And
because in such a situation the main motive is not income or profit generation, altruism
becomes the main stimulator for participation. Such altruism may also come alongside
several regular education and communication media. CBOs, NGOs and other sectors
may go into partnership with council or government towards enhancing improved
collection and other decision-making aspects of the MSWM schemes. A big advantage
of collective collaboration approach is that collection rates will be improved as a far
greater proportion of the public and other groups become highly engaged.
The second approach, adaptive innovation is necessary if existing schemes desire to
expand on some aspects of their operations or if new schemes are to be launched.
Such expansion may be technological as well as economic. Why innovation in this case
has to be adaptive draws from the basic observation that translating waste management
strategies of one country to another may not work as expected. Of prime importance
then is the fact that socioeconomic parameters and other characteristics of society have
to be incorporated in designing any sustainable MSWM program for a given country or
municipality. Due to the usual financial constrains faced by developing countries, efforts
to expand existing MSWM schemes through innovation has to take into consideration
already existing practices that have beneficial impact on MSWM. Such practices include
for example, the recycling of aluminum to produce household utensils and the recovery
of components from WEEE.
6.5 Discussion
MSWM in Cameroon is mainly the responsibility of municipal councils. Such
responsibilities may be shifted to some contracted agents of the council or other
registered organizations for a similar cause. The fact that most of the environmental
141
groups in the country have not incorporated MSWM as part of their agenda has a
negative effect on the delivery of sustainable services. Such groups have a greater
advantage in engaging and involving the public as they do operate for the most part at
grassroots level. The lack of people with expertise learning and training in waste
management may be a factor while such groups are not generally involved in MWSM
and other aspects of it like recycling. The lack of knowledge too on the options for
transformation of waste into resource may also account for the above negligence.
As long as municipal council stick to the of “collect and dispose” paradigm for MSW, any
local initiative to recover and recycle waste can be quite beneficial especially to urban
poor since such initiative either stand to cut on expenditure or generate income. Such
initiatives (for example scavenging at collection points) may slow down collection and
result to wanton scattering of litter around collection points. Recognition and greater
expansion of existing practices that have positive benefits on MSWM ought to be
encouraged. Government, though the Ministry for Small and Medium-size enterprises
and local councils may stimulate and support the activities of local groups by creating a
fair economic and fiscal environment for operation. Although the bulk composition of
MSW in Cameroon, like many developing countries, shows a greater proportion of
organics, there is also the presence of a significant proportion of recyclable like plastics
and aluminum. Given these proportional of recyclables may be small for larger scale
reprocessing, SMEs then stand in a better position to recycle such components.
Recycling represents a complete loop or cycle whose components may as well as may
not be found within the same country or locality. Thus SMEs serve a better link between
local community and distant partners. The role of SMEs in recycling can be quite
rewarding based on the fact that the activities of most of them are basically tailored to
the needs of their immediate society.
Ngoasong (2007) reports that while economic profit is a priority for most entrepreneurs,
SMEs in Cameroon exists mainly to alleviate poverty through income generating
activities and contribute to economic development by providing employment for job
seekers and household income for especially urban and rural poor. He also states that
these SMEs prefer to adapt, imitate and modify existing innovations rather than
pursuing Schumpeterian innovation. Because MSWM as well as recovery and recycling
present opportunities for poverty alleviation, SMEs then stand to benefit from any efforts
142
toward involving them in these activities. For this to be sustainable, however,
appropriate policies and frameworks should be in place regarding the involvement of
this sector into such activities. Such a task is the responsibility of the government.
Unfortunately, most of these SMEs are either not registered or not exposed to any
information on possible benefits they could derive from government and other support
agencies. SMEs need to organize themselves around some priority areas such as
upgrading skills, specialization and information sharing. Yet they play a significant role in
economic (Baumol, 1993b) and ecological development. Given the significance of the
roles they play, the government ought to provide the necessary infrastructure and
support to meet the challenges they face.
The public at large recognize the detrimental environmental and health impacts of waste
and the poor management of it and is willing to participate in any organize efforts to
recycle. The willingness alone does not guarantee the success of a program. The
creation of awareness programs can also make participation effective. The councils and
contracted agents have got to realize the need for a paradigm shift in waste
management. Given they struggle to handle just a proportion of waste generated, any
efforts (beneficial) to reduce what goes to final disposal has to be encouraged.
6.6 Conclusion
An analysis of the present MSWM schemes in Cameroon shows that they are strongly
build on the “collect and dispose” paradigm for MSW. There has been likewise little
concern over local efforts and practices that serve to recover or recycle components of
MSW. Such efforts present both economic and ecological benefits. Lessons from
established schemes like CIPRE that recycles plastics can be transferred to and
implemented by other groups or organization with resultant beneficial effects. One of the
greatest limitations to efforts towards recycling and recovery is the fact that there is lack
of information in the area of delivering sustainable waste services that benefit a greater
proportion of communities and of a shift in thinking from “waste as bound solely for
disposal” and “waste as material that can be converted into resource”.
143
Chapter 7
Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations
7.1 Summary of conclusions
This dissertation sets to address the broader problem of MSWM in developing countries
using Cameroon as a case study. The existing management practices and systems
involved are discussed and proposals to better the system. Of central attention is the
building of an argument that recycling and material recovery are two very beneficial
aspects that should be expanded or introduced into MSWM schemes in Cameroon.
Thus existing recycling and recovery practices have been discussed and strategies to
expand and integrate them presented. To attain the objectives of this dissertation,
MSWM in Cameroon was analyzed in order to develop a clearer basis for the main
thesis of this research – expanding on and integrating recycling and material recovery
(especially through adaptive) in MSWM in Cameroon.
The results show that public involvement in MSWM has been largely based on
household preferred options. Existing management schemes are somehow jaundiced of
sustainable practices. And because emphasis has always be on the basis of “keep
communities clean” focus then has always been placed on collection and disposal. The
constraints and challenges that confronts management and which limits management
from becoming sustainable includes: infrastructure and logistics; poor urban planning
and geomorphological factors; poor landfilling practices, inadequate funding; political
and other institutional aspects; influence of long held perceptions; and lack of research
and development. Changing consumer life-styles, increasing economic activities and
rapid urbanization are impacting greatly on MSW generation thus requiring greater
concern for more sustainable management. Hence there is need for innovations and
improvements in MSWM schemes that take into consideration all stakeholders. Such
innovations will include the introduction of broader but adaptive recovery/recycling
programs.
The quantity of WEEE in Cameroon is on an increase due to the increasing demand for
used or second-hand equipments whose conditions are not very certain to the
144
consumer. The desire to live to the taste of technology (though with meager resources)
in the recent past has also boosted the acquisition of EEE implying at end-of- life the
problem of managing waste from this equipments will be even greater. The WEEE
differs in types with location based on the major activities in the area and the
educational institutions. However TVs and related acoustics form the greater bulk of
WEEE in the localities studied. Although there is a general lack of material recovery
facilities in Cameroon, traditional approaches of management such as recovery and
reuse of functional components of WEEE are quite plausible. Based on public
willingness to participate in management programs, recovery schemes could be
implemented, which would be quite adaptable in context though drawing from the
experiences of developed systems. Thus we content that such schemes would greatly
reduce the impacts of WEEE both to humans and the environment while adjusting to
some degree the disequilibrium in the material cycle (where natural materials are
exploited when existing products could be recycled and reused).
In Cameroon, small-scale private schemes for the recycling of aluminum scrap for the
production of especially household cooking utensils represent a small yet significant
industry with enormous socio-economic and ecological benefits. Their activities do not
only generate income to those involved but also serve as a means to sustainable
MSWM. Although this sector does not employ many people, lots of people may benefit
from it through their sale of scrap to producers. Despite its success, the sector suffers
from: market competition with brokers who export scrap to other countries as Ghana
and China; energy supplies during the rainy season in cases where heating for melting
is by the use of wood and charcoal; transport problems during remote communities
especially during rainy season; and market competition with similar products from
neighboring Nigeria. Getting the public involved in recycling through the media (radio,
TV and newspapers) and community social groups; government involvement in the
activities of this sector through institutional arrangements (which protects the interest of
recyclers); and the upgrading of facilities in production plants constitute approaches to
enhance sustenance of the sector.
An analysis of the present MSWM schemes in Cameroon shows that they are strongly
build on the “collect and dispose” paradigm for MSW. There has been likewise little
concern over local efforts and practices that serve to recover or recycle components of
145
MSW. Such efforts present both economic and ecological benefits. Lessons from
established schemes like CIPRE that recycles plastics can be transferred to and
implemented by other groups or organization with resultant beneficial effects. One of the
greatest limitations to efforts towards recycling and recovery is the fact that there is lack
of information in the area of delivering sustainable waste services that benefit a greater
proportion of communities and of a shift in thinking from “waste as bound solely for
disposal” and “waste as material that can be converted into resource”.
7.2 Summary of Recommendations
From the above conclusions it can be noticed that for the different issues presented,
there similar as well as different problems and challenges faced by MSWM as well as
practices in recycling and recovery. Thus the recommendations made in this dissertation
may find applicability either directly or indirectly to several areas of MSWM in
Cameroon. The recommendations require either action by management in key areas or
research into vital areas so as to improve on management.
The following recommendations need to be enacted for MSWM schemes (with recycling
and recovery as essential components) in Cameroon to become more efficient in
delivering desired services as well as meeting sustainable goals:
Continuous efforts in Research and Development (R & D) alongside information
sharing
A very big and detrimental problem in MSWM in Cameroon is that of R and D. Such a
problem becomes more compounded when available research efforts do not find
opportunities for application. Such efforts would seek to better analyze the existing
problems faced by management, assess effectiveness of management approaches,
create avenues for innovations within management systems, pave way for collaborative
inclusion of stakeholders and creates opportunities for informed decision-making due to
reliance on derived and reliable data. More so research and development of local
initiatives would be very rewarding to enhance both collective collaboration and
adaptive innovation. For such a recommendation to be achieved there must be a
medium through which information sharing can be attained especially between
academic/research institutions and other stakeholders like municipal councils.
146
Strengthening the need for and approaches to policy and other regulatory
framework formulation
While commitment to implementation of existing legislation (even if not comprehensive
enough) has to be increased on the part of government and other institutions related to
MSWM, there is need for developing more comprehensive policies, legislation and
regulatory frameworks with particular relevance to recycling and recovery and which
would cover a greater number of concerns in MSWM such as WEEE. Because
comprehensive frameworks are lacking or poorly developed, is obvious ministerial
departments, councils and other organizations may be duplication functions as well as
staying in doubts over issues. Any comprehensive framework will exclude issues like
friction administrative roles for different actors as well avoid duplication of roles and
would
Opening up financial constraints
MSWM authorities (mainly councils, private agents and NGOs / CBOs) are limited in
their operations due to financial constraints. The nature of financial of councils does not
allow them to impose taxes or fees for MSWM activities (for example a collection fee).
Thus the fiscal system in relation to councils needs to be readjusted to enable councils
garner more financial resources.
Strengthening stakeholder partnerships
Partnerships between different stakeholders especially public-private partnerships are
highly desirable in delivering sustainable MSWM. Such partnerships need to be fostered
in Cameroon. More so, the creation of CBO may be quite useful in rallying residential
support and participation in any waste management scheme. But at the heart of all
these is awareness and information. The use of the media to increase awareness of the
public and hence their involvement in MSWM is of huge importance.
Strengthening public environmental education and information
The role public education and information play in a MSWM system is very crucial.
Unfortunately, this aspect is lacking in Cameroon. Thus it would pay-off much if
available media is utilized to continuously educate and provide information on MSWM in
general and recycling/recovery on the other hand. Specifically speaking, for recycling
147
and recovery to be implemented on a broader scale in Cameroon by especially SMEs,
the following recommendations may be helpful:
The actual activity of small scale private schemes for recycling of aluminum has
to be assessed in which case daily inputs (material and financial) and daily
outputs (material and financial) have to be determined. This can be achieved
through monitoring the activities of this sector over time since no records are kept
by producers. In the case of handlers of EEE and EoL forms of them, it will be
very interesting too, to assess their activities as well. Such assessments can
greatly facilitate efforts to justifying the expansion of such sectors.
An in-depth socioeconomic analysis of this SMEs involved in recycling and
recovery using appropriate methods such as, for example, willingness to Pay
(participate) in such programs need to be done on a broader scale. Hence the
effect of the presence or absence of policy, legislative and other institutional
structures need to be assessed as these are necessary for economic
development.
A detailed assessment of the technological aspects involved in the recycling of
aluminum scrap and the recycling and recovery of WEEE need to be carried out
so as to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in production as well as creating
room for adaptive innovation to become more plausible.
148
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